After Social Media Bans, Militant Groups Found Ways to Remain Sheera Frenkel and Ben Hubbard, April 19th, 2019, New York Times In July 2013, a broadcaster affiliated with the Islamist group Hezbollah posted a threatening video on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. It featured gun-toting militants practicing an ambush to kidnap Israeli soldiers. The message: This […]Read More

After years of repression, Ethiopia’s media is free — and fanning the flames of ethnic tension Paul Schemm, April 21st, 2019, Washington Post From a collection of modest offices in a half-empty high rise, one of Ethiopia’s most prominent journalists publishes his weekly paper with a staff of just four. Russian interference in 2016 sets […]Read More

Mark Pomerleau, April 22nd, 2019C4ISRNET The National Defense Strategy, the guiding principle for everything the Department of Defense does these days, is a little more than a year old. The document stresses the return to a so-called great power competition and cites adversaries such as Russia and China as key competitors. Following the release of […]Read More

Thomas Kent, April 22nd, 2019The Atlantic CouncilReport here Russian information operations are carefully curated for each country that Moscow targets. For their own citizens, Russian media describe their country as all-powerful, yet the victim of constant plots and slander. Moldovans are told a predatory European Union (EU) is impoverishing the country and tearing it from […]Read More

Our Take In Foreign Affairs, ASD Co-directors Laura Rosenberger and Jamie Fly argue that policymakers should put partisanship aside to work together to secure election systems and set consequences for foreign actors that interfere with U.S. democracy. ASD Director Laura Rosenberger joined David Greene on NPR’s Morning Edition to discuss Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s findings […]Read More

A Newsletter of Political Warfare, Influence, and Information Campaigns from the Pell Center at Salve Regina University Sign up for the Active Measures Newsletter here. The Mueller Report Report on the Investigation Into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election | Robert S. Mueller, III Mueller Report Bolsters Claims That Russia Penetrated Election Systems in […]Read More

The European Center of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threatshttps://www.hybridcoe.fi/publications/strategic-analysis-how-states-use-non-state-actors-a-modus-operandi-for-covert-state-subversion-and-malign-networks/ Magnus Normark, April 22, 2019 – report here States with a strong and long-term interest in influencing, manipulating and creating events in other countries to promote their interests will probably utilize different non-state actors in a systematic manner. Directing activity through non-state entities presents an opportunity […]Read More

NATO’s Center of Excellence for Strategic Communications https://www.stratcomcoe.org/hybrid-threats-strategic-communications-perspective April 9, 2019 This report is the result of a two-year study conducted by the NATO Strategic Communications Center of Excellence. It is designed to help national authorities understand, prepare for, identify and respond to hybrid threats. The research focuses on state actors and uses a standardized […]Read More

Fact-Checkers vs. Hoax Peddlers: a Fake News Battle Ahead of Indonesia’s Election Reuters in the New York Times, April 10th, 2019 Armed with laptops, three dozen journalists and fact-checkers braced for battle before a live debate between Indonesian President Joko Widodo and his challenger, Prabowo Subianto. Spain Vows to Boost Cybersecurity, Fight Disinformation Associated Press […]Read More

Inside the Russian effort to target Sanders supporters — and help elect Trump Michael Kranish, Washington Post, April 12th, 2019 After Bernie Sanders lost his presidential primary race against Hillary Clinton in 2016, a Twitter account called Red Louisiana News reached out to his supporters to help sway the general election. “Conscious Bernie Sanders supporters […]Read More