Colin Gerard
@colingerard.bsky.social
Team Leader @viginum.bsky.social
PhD in Geopolitics @univ-paris8.fr
Researcher @ifgeopolitique.bsky.social
Russian FP, IOs, OSINT investigations
Latest publication: https://therussiaprogram.org/russia_information_influence
PhD in Geopolitics @univ-paris8.fr
Researcher @ifgeopolitique.bsky.social
Russian FP, IOs, OSINT investigations
Latest publication: https://therussiaprogram.org/russia_information_influence
Reposted by Colin Gerard
X’s New Feature Reveals Why Trust & Safety Work Was Never About The ‘Censorship Industrial Complex’
For the last few years, Matt Taibbi, Michael Shellenberger, and their allies have spent considerable energy attacking both academic researchers studying disinformation and the trust & safety teams…
For the last few years, Matt Taibbi, Michael Shellenberger, and their allies have spent considerable energy attacking both academic researchers studying disinformation and the trust & safety teams…
X’s New Feature Reveals Why Trust & Safety Work Was Never About The ‘Censorship Industrial Complex’
For the last few years, Matt Taibbi, Michael Shellenberger, and their allies have spent considerable energy attacking both academic researchers studying disinformation and the trust & safety teams at social media platforms working to identify and remove coordinated inauthentic behavior—particularly foreign influence operations. They've insisted that any attempt to study and limit such operations is actually just "censorship" with various forms of cover, whether academic or operational.
www.techdirt.com
November 24, 2025 at 5:25 PM
X’s New Feature Reveals Why Trust & Safety Work Was Never About The ‘Censorship Industrial Complex’
For the last few years, Matt Taibbi, Michael Shellenberger, and their allies have spent considerable energy attacking both academic researchers studying disinformation and the trust & safety teams…
For the last few years, Matt Taibbi, Michael Shellenberger, and their allies have spent considerable energy attacking both academic researchers studying disinformation and the trust & safety teams…
Reposted by Colin Gerard
A late-night act of vandalism turned out to be something much bigger, and Moscow knew exactly what it was doing.
Red Hands in Paris: A Small Act of Vandalism in a Big Russian Strategy
On the afternoon of May 11, 2024, two men arrived at a modest hotel in Paris. One of them, identifying himself as Mircho Angelov, presented a Bulgarian ID
warontherocks.com
November 25, 2025 at 12:30 AM
A late-night act of vandalism turned out to be something much bigger, and Moscow knew exactly what it was doing.
Reposted by Colin Gerard
Reposted by Colin Gerard
I wrote about the fake account blowup on X this weekend. A genuine post-truth nightmare and proof that these companies have polluted their platforms so thoroughly and traded reality for profit that they've undermined the very idea of what the internet is supposed to be.
That MAGA Account Might Be a Troll From Pakistan
How X blew up its own platform with a new location feature
www.theatlantic.com
November 24, 2025 at 4:33 PM
I wrote about the fake account blowup on X this weekend. A genuine post-truth nightmare and proof that these companies have polluted their platforms so thoroughly and traded reality for profit that they've undermined the very idea of what the internet is supposed to be.
Reposted by Colin Gerard
📍 Pourquoi les localisations des comptes affichées par le réseau social X ne sont pas fiables
Présentée comme un outil de transparence, la nouvelle fonctionnalité soulève déjà des doutes. Par CheckNews :
Présentée comme un outil de transparence, la nouvelle fonctionnalité soulève déjà des doutes. Par CheckNews :
Pourquoi les localisations des comptes affichées par le réseau social X ne sont pas fiables
Présentée comme un outil de transparence, la nouvelle fonctionnalité de X, censée indiquer le pays de connexion d’un utilisateur, soulève déjà des doutes. Le réseau reconnaît plusieurs «irrégularités».
www.liberation.fr
November 24, 2025 at 5:21 PM
📍 Pourquoi les localisations des comptes affichées par le réseau social X ne sont pas fiables
Présentée comme un outil de transparence, la nouvelle fonctionnalité soulève déjà des doutes. Par CheckNews :
Présentée comme un outil de transparence, la nouvelle fonctionnalité soulève déjà des doutes. Par CheckNews :
Reposted by Colin Gerard
X’s new “About this account” tool reveals that dozens of pro-Russian and MAGA accounts with tens of thousands of followers, long posing as American or Russian, are actually created and run from India, Bangladesh, and other South Asian countries.
November 22, 2025 at 1:35 PM
X’s new “About this account” tool reveals that dozens of pro-Russian and MAGA accounts with tens of thousands of followers, long posing as American or Russian, are actually created and run from India, Bangladesh, and other South Asian countries.
Reposted by Colin Gerard
Le Groupe de soutien à l’Islam et aux Musulmans (JNIM) est aujourd’hui aux portes de Bamako, et il gouverne une bonne partie de l’hinterland malien et burkinabè ainsi que l’ouest du Niger. Par Yvan Guichaoua @yguichaoua.bsky.social.
aoc.media/analyse/2025...
aoc.media/analyse/2025...
Vers l’État-archipel au Sahel - AOC media
Le Groupe de soutien à l’Islam et aux Musulmans (JNIM) est aujourd’hui aux portes de Bamako, et il gouverne une bonne partie de l’hinterland malien et burkinabè ainsi que l’ouest du Niger. Le JNIM a…
aoc.media
November 17, 2025 at 6:31 PM
Le Groupe de soutien à l’Islam et aux Musulmans (JNIM) est aujourd’hui aux portes de Bamako, et il gouverne une bonne partie de l’hinterland malien et burkinabè ainsi que l’ouest du Niger. Par Yvan Guichaoua @yguichaoua.bsky.social.
aoc.media/analyse/2025...
aoc.media/analyse/2025...
Reposted by Colin Gerard
Archiving the web is more important and more challenging than ever before. https://cnn.it/4phKzlW
November 16, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Archiving the web is more important and more challenging than ever before. https://cnn.it/4phKzlW
Reposted by Colin Gerard
The latest Storm-1516 disinformation campaign is targeting the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy with one of their most bizarre claims alleging that Zelenskyy holds a Russian passport (which was allegedly issued in Crimea in 2015) and owns luxury real estate in Moscow
November 16, 2025 at 10:32 AM
The latest Storm-1516 disinformation campaign is targeting the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy with one of their most bizarre claims alleging that Zelenskyy holds a Russian passport (which was allegedly issued in Crimea in 2015) and owns luxury real estate in Moscow
"Meta projected 10% of its 2024 revenue would come from ads for scams and banned goods, documents seen by Reuters show."
And how many percents of its revenue Meta projected to come from covert information operations? Do they even care?
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
And how many percents of its revenue Meta projected to come from covert information operations? Do they even care?
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
Meta is earning a fortune on a deluge of fraudulent ads, documents show
Meta projected 10% of its 2024 revenue would come from ads for scams and banned goods, and it internally estimates that its platforms show users 15 billion scam ads a day, company documents show.
www.reuters.com
November 8, 2025 at 2:00 PM
"Meta projected 10% of its 2024 revenue would come from ads for scams and banned goods, documents seen by Reuters show."
And how many percents of its revenue Meta projected to come from covert information operations? Do they even care?
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
And how many percents of its revenue Meta projected to come from covert information operations? Do they even care?
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
Reposted by Colin Gerard
#VIGINUM et Advens lancent Cyber for Good Media, un programme dédié aux journalistes pour renforcer leurs compétences en cybersécurité et en lutte contre la menace informationnelle.
🗞️ Intéressé ? Les inscriptions sont ouvertes jusqu'au 5 décembre (15 places disponibles)
➡️ cyberforgood.org/fr/media/
🗞️ Intéressé ? Les inscriptions sont ouvertes jusqu'au 5 décembre (15 places disponibles)
➡️ cyberforgood.org/fr/media/
November 3, 2025 at 1:52 PM
#VIGINUM et Advens lancent Cyber for Good Media, un programme dédié aux journalistes pour renforcer leurs compétences en cybersécurité et en lutte contre la menace informationnelle.
🗞️ Intéressé ? Les inscriptions sont ouvertes jusqu'au 5 décembre (15 places disponibles)
➡️ cyberforgood.org/fr/media/
🗞️ Intéressé ? Les inscriptions sont ouvertes jusqu'au 5 décembre (15 places disponibles)
➡️ cyberforgood.org/fr/media/
Reposted by Colin Gerard
Au procès des «mains rouges» sur le Mémorial de la Shoah : un raid «pensé et organisé» et la «gangrène» de l’antisémitisme
La motivation antisémite ou non des tags, pour lesquels quatre ressortissants bulgares sont jugés depuis mercredi, était au cœur de la deuxième journée d’audience.
La motivation antisémite ou non des tags, pour lesquels quatre ressortissants bulgares sont jugés depuis mercredi, était au cœur de la deuxième journée d’audience.
Au procès des «mains rouges» sur le Mémorial de la Shoah : un raid «pensé et organisé» et la «gangrène» de l’antisémitisme
La motivation antisémite ou non des tags retrouvés en mai 2024, pour lesquels quatre ressortissants bulgares sont jugés depuis mercredi, était au cœur de la deuxième journée d’audience. Le parquet a requis de deux à quatre ans de prison.
www.liberation.fr
October 31, 2025 at 11:42 AM
Au procès des «mains rouges» sur le Mémorial de la Shoah : un raid «pensé et organisé» et la «gangrène» de l’antisémitisme
La motivation antisémite ou non des tags, pour lesquels quatre ressortissants bulgares sont jugés depuis mercredi, était au cœur de la deuxième journée d’audience.
La motivation antisémite ou non des tags, pour lesquels quatre ressortissants bulgares sont jugés depuis mercredi, était au cœur de la deuxième journée d’audience.
Reposted by Colin Gerard
The CIA hacked and disrupted a computer network used by Venezuela’s security service in Trump’s 1st term, one of a series of covert actions US agencies took or considered taking as Trump increased pressure on Maduro: www.cnn.com/2025/10/29/p...
CIA cyberattacks targeting the Maduro regime didn’t satisfy Trump in his first term. Now the US is flexing its military might | CNN Politics
In the final year of President Donald Trump’s first administration, the CIA carried out a clandestine cyberattack against the Venezuelan government, disabling the computer network used by Venezuelan l...
www.cnn.com
October 29, 2025 at 2:48 PM
The CIA hacked and disrupted a computer network used by Venezuela’s security service in Trump’s 1st term, one of a series of covert actions US agencies took or considered taking as Trump increased pressure on Maduro: www.cnn.com/2025/10/29/p...
Reposted by Colin Gerard
1/ The Kremlin’s hierarchy is shifting.
The new "The Economist" story with my small contibutions explains how the war in Ukraine has elevated a new class — ultra-conservatives, relatives, and "svp" veterans — while sidelining old groups and technocrats in particular
www.economist.com/1843/2025/1...
The new "The Economist" story with my small contibutions explains how the war in Ukraine has elevated a new class — ultra-conservatives, relatives, and "svp" veterans — while sidelining old groups and technocrats in particular
www.economist.com/1843/2025/1...
October 26, 2025 at 6:53 PM
1/ The Kremlin’s hierarchy is shifting.
The new "The Economist" story with my small contibutions explains how the war in Ukraine has elevated a new class — ultra-conservatives, relatives, and "svp" veterans — while sidelining old groups and technocrats in particular
www.economist.com/1843/2025/1...
The new "The Economist" story with my small contibutions explains how the war in Ukraine has elevated a new class — ultra-conservatives, relatives, and "svp" veterans — while sidelining old groups and technocrats in particular
www.economist.com/1843/2025/1...
Reposted by Colin Gerard
One good thing about Russia's Matryoshka disinformation campaign emailing us their fake news posts everyday of the week is you can get a sense of what really worries Russia. The last few days have been dominated by videos about how unpopular Macron is for wanting to send Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine
October 16, 2025 at 7:53 AM
One good thing about Russia's Matryoshka disinformation campaign emailing us their fake news posts everyday of the week is you can get a sense of what really worries Russia. The last few days have been dominated by videos about how unpopular Macron is for wanting to send Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine
If you’re at #Disinfo2025 in Ljubljana, I’ll be presenting the concept of information manipulation set (IMS) we developed at @viginum.bsky.social.
🗓️This morning at 11.30am
📍Track 2 at Cankarjev Dom
@disinfo.eu
🗓️This morning at 11.30am
📍Track 2 at Cankarjev Dom
@disinfo.eu
October 16, 2025 at 6:43 AM
If you’re at #Disinfo2025 in Ljubljana, I’ll be presenting the concept of information manipulation set (IMS) we developed at @viginum.bsky.social.
🗓️This morning at 11.30am
📍Track 2 at Cankarjev Dom
@disinfo.eu
🗓️This morning at 11.30am
📍Track 2 at Cankarjev Dom
@disinfo.eu
Reposted by Colin Gerard
NEW: Since October 2023, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit has released dozens of 3D animations illustrating alleged Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iranian sites
The style is now unmistakable: satellite zoom-ins, black & white wireframes, and red-textured houses - a new visual language of war
The style is now unmistakable: satellite zoom-ins, black & white wireframes, and red-textured houses - a new visual language of war
October 8, 2025 at 4:58 PM
NEW: Since October 2023, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit has released dozens of 3D animations illustrating alleged Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iranian sites
The style is now unmistakable: satellite zoom-ins, black & white wireframes, and red-textured houses - a new visual language of war
The style is now unmistakable: satellite zoom-ins, black & white wireframes, and red-textured houses - a new visual language of war
Reposted by Colin Gerard
We are grateful to the BlueSky @Safety.bsky.app team who suspended the entire list of 219 accounts that we found so far for this network.
October 8, 2025 at 9:27 AM
We are grateful to the BlueSky @Safety.bsky.app team who suspended the entire list of 219 accounts that we found so far for this network.
Reposted by Colin Gerard
NEW REPORT: We uncovered a coordinated network of fake X profiles that is spreading AI-generated content to induce revolt in #Iran. We call this network “PRISONBREAK”.
Read the report 👉 citizenlab.ca/2025/10/ai-e...
Read the report 👉 citizenlab.ca/2025/10/ai-e...
We Say You Want a Revolution: PRISONBREAK - An AI-Enabled Influence Operation Aimed at Overthrowing the Iranian Regime - The Citizen Lab
We investigate a coordinated network of inauthentic X accounts that is spreading AI-generated content to induce revolt in Iran. The network has been active since 2023, but increased activity during th...
citizenlab.ca
October 3, 2025 at 4:40 PM
NEW REPORT: We uncovered a coordinated network of fake X profiles that is spreading AI-generated content to induce revolt in #Iran. We call this network “PRISONBREAK”.
Read the report 👉 citizenlab.ca/2025/10/ai-e...
Read the report 👉 citizenlab.ca/2025/10/ai-e...
Reposted by Colin Gerard
The latest Storm-1516 disinformation campaign is targeting France and Macron. The campaign is alleging that the French president is building a luxury bunker, which costs 148 million euro.
October 2, 2025 at 8:45 AM
The latest Storm-1516 disinformation campaign is targeting France and Macron. The campaign is alleging that the French president is building a luxury bunker, which costs 148 million euro.
Reposted by Colin Gerard
ISD reveals how a Czech-language community of 70 accounts on X systematically spreads Kremlin-aligned messages ahead of the parliamentary elections.
Investigation | An anti-Ukrainian community on X: A gateway for Russian propaganda in the Czech information space
A Czech X community of 70 accounts is acting as a conduit for Kremlin propaganda, amplifying anti-Ukraine narratives ahead of the 2025 elections.
www.isdglobal.org
October 2, 2025 at 9:05 AM
ISD reveals how a Czech-language community of 70 accounts on X systematically spreads Kremlin-aligned messages ahead of the parliamentary elections.
Reposted by Colin Gerard
Russian-born restaurateurs sent dozens of batches of banned chemicals from Barcelona to Russia that could be used for weapons
A new investigation by Important Stories, Slidstvo.Info, the Belarusian Investigative Center, the OCCRP and others details shipments of the industrial chemical NMP.
A new investigation by Important Stories, Slidstvo.Info, the Belarusian Investigative Center, the OCCRP and others details shipments of the industrial chemical NMP.
Russian-born restaurateurs sent dozens of batches of banned chemicals from Barcelona to Russia that could be used for weapons
The Oleynikovs, a family of restaurateurs based in Barcelona, shipped at least 36 batches of restricted chemicals to Russia between 2022 and 2024, a joint investigation by the independent Russian outl...
theins.press
September 30, 2025 at 8:58 PM
Russian-born restaurateurs sent dozens of batches of banned chemicals from Barcelona to Russia that could be used for weapons
A new investigation by Important Stories, Slidstvo.Info, the Belarusian Investigative Center, the OCCRP and others details shipments of the industrial chemical NMP.
A new investigation by Important Stories, Slidstvo.Info, the Belarusian Investigative Center, the OCCRP and others details shipments of the industrial chemical NMP.
Reposted by Colin Gerard
Têtes de cochon devant des mosquées : l’enquête privilégie la piste du renseignement militaire russe
Têtes de cochon devant des mosquées : l’enquête privilégie la piste du renseignement militaire russe
Une même personne, domiciliée en Serbie, aurait actionné les hommes de main à l’origine de cette action de déstabilisation, menée le 8 septembre, mais aussi à celle de la dégradation du Mémorial de la Shoah le 30 mai.
www.lemonde.fr
September 27, 2025 at 3:33 AM
Têtes de cochon devant des mosquées : l’enquête privilégie la piste du renseignement militaire russe
Reposted by Colin Gerard
🧵 For Trump's admin, influencing its citizens with a bot network seems becoming an ordinary routine.
Today's US is one of the first G7 powers that uses bots domestically outside of an election cycle—what for a long time used to be exclusive to authoritarian states.
1/
Today's US is one of the first G7 powers that uses bots domestically outside of an election cycle—what for a long time used to be exclusive to authoritarian states.
1/
September 11, 2025 at 9:27 AM
🧵 For Trump's admin, influencing its citizens with a bot network seems becoming an ordinary routine.
Today's US is one of the first G7 powers that uses bots domestically outside of an election cycle—what for a long time used to be exclusive to authoritarian states.
1/
Today's US is one of the first G7 powers that uses bots domestically outside of an election cycle—what for a long time used to be exclusive to authoritarian states.
1/
Reposted by Colin Gerard
BREAKING:
🇲🇩 Moldova parliamentary elections are more important for the Russian state to interfere than these 2024-2025 elections _combined_:
🇺🇸 US, presidential
🇩🇪 Germany, parliamentary
🇵🇱 Poland, presidential
...as measured by an effort spent on a bot network. 🧵
🇲🇩 Moldova parliamentary elections are more important for the Russian state to interfere than these 2024-2025 elections _combined_:
🇺🇸 US, presidential
🇩🇪 Germany, parliamentary
🇵🇱 Poland, presidential
...as measured by an effort spent on a bot network. 🧵
September 19, 2025 at 4:24 PM
BREAKING:
🇲🇩 Moldova parliamentary elections are more important for the Russian state to interfere than these 2024-2025 elections _combined_:
🇺🇸 US, presidential
🇩🇪 Germany, parliamentary
🇵🇱 Poland, presidential
...as measured by an effort spent on a bot network. 🧵
🇲🇩 Moldova parliamentary elections are more important for the Russian state to interfere than these 2024-2025 elections _combined_:
🇺🇸 US, presidential
🇩🇪 Germany, parliamentary
🇵🇱 Poland, presidential
...as measured by an effort spent on a bot network. 🧵