DFRLab
@dfrlab.bsky.social
The Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab. Cultivating a global network of digital forensic analysts (#DigitalSherlocks) to combat disinformation.
🇨🇦In Toronto, the DFRLab joined @globalaffairs.canada.ca’s Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM Canada) & @utoronto.ca for the G7 Digital Transnational Repression Detection Academy Symposium launching a new initiative, strengthening how G7+ partners detect & counter digital transnational repression.
November 25, 2025 at 10:16 PM
🇨🇦In Toronto, the DFRLab joined @globalaffairs.canada.ca’s Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM Canada) & @utoronto.ca for the G7 Digital Transnational Repression Detection Academy Symposium launching a new initiative, strengthening how G7+ partners detect & counter digital transnational repression.
🇺🇦 Despite developing remarkable resilience since 2014, #Ukraine’s information space remains deeply contested. Our latest report w/ INFO OPS Poland shows how years of conflict have reshaped the information environment: bit.ly/4pypCDt
Information environment research: UKRAINE - Disinfo Digest
The report, "Information Environment Research: Ukraine," was developed as part of the MUGA project, implemented by the INFO OPS Poland Foundation and DFRLab (Atlantic Council). Its primary objective i...
bit.ly
November 24, 2025 at 9:37 PM
🇺🇦 Despite developing remarkable resilience since 2014, #Ukraine’s information space remains deeply contested. Our latest report w/ INFO OPS Poland shows how years of conflict have reshaped the information environment: bit.ly/4pypCDt
🇦🇲Our latest report under #ProjectMUGA w/ INFO OPS Poland Foundation digs into the fault lines that make Armenia especially vulnerable to foreign influence, and how Russia is exploiting this moment of political and social transition.
Read now: bit.ly/4peZ0XH
Read now: bit.ly/4peZ0XH
Information environment research – Armenia - Disinfo Digest
Raport: Analysis of Armenia's information environment The report you hold was prepared as part of the MUGA project, implemented by the INFO OPS Poland Foundation and DFRLab (Atlantic Council). Its goa...
bit.ly
November 19, 2025 at 7:37 PM
🇦🇲Our latest report under #ProjectMUGA w/ INFO OPS Poland Foundation digs into the fault lines that make Armenia especially vulnerable to foreign influence, and how Russia is exploiting this moment of political and social transition.
Read now: bit.ly/4peZ0XH
Read now: bit.ly/4peZ0XH
📅Today @ 9AM ET
Join the Democracy+Tech Initiative as we explore how digital identity is reshaping governance across Africa: bit.ly/3K4IPxk
Have questions for the panelists? Visit askac.org to share your insight 💬
Join the Democracy+Tech Initiative as we explore how digital identity is reshaping governance across Africa: bit.ly/3K4IPxk
Have questions for the panelists? Visit askac.org to share your insight 💬
📅Nov 19 @ 9AM | Digital identity systems are transforming governance across Africa while raising big questions about privacy, inclusion & power. Join DFRLab's Democracy+Tech Initiative as we explore how digital identity is reshaping governance, elections & rights across the continent
bit.ly/3K4IPxk
bit.ly/3K4IPxk
Biometrics in Africa: The market behind digital identity
The Atlantic Council’s Democracy + Tech Initiative hosts a conversation on biometric and digital identification systems in Africa.
bit.ly
November 19, 2025 at 12:36 PM
📅Today @ 9AM ET
Join the Democracy+Tech Initiative as we explore how digital identity is reshaping governance across Africa: bit.ly/3K4IPxk
Have questions for the panelists? Visit askac.org to share your insight 💬
Join the Democracy+Tech Initiative as we explore how digital identity is reshaping governance across Africa: bit.ly/3K4IPxk
Have questions for the panelists? Visit askac.org to share your insight 💬
📅Nov 19 @ 9AM | Digital identity systems are transforming governance across Africa while raising big questions about privacy, inclusion & power. Join DFRLab's Democracy+Tech Initiative as we explore how digital identity is reshaping governance, elections & rights across the continent
bit.ly/3K4IPxk
bit.ly/3K4IPxk
Biometrics in Africa: The market behind digital identity
The Atlantic Council’s Democracy + Tech Initiative hosts a conversation on biometric and digital identification systems in Africa.
bit.ly
November 17, 2025 at 8:02 PM
📅Nov 19 @ 9AM | Digital identity systems are transforming governance across Africa while raising big questions about privacy, inclusion & power. Join DFRLab's Democracy+Tech Initiative as we explore how digital identity is reshaping governance, elections & rights across the continent
bit.ly/3K4IPxk
bit.ly/3K4IPxk
Reposted by DFRLab
Congratulations to the entire team at @dfrlab.bsky.social for the release of "Authoritarian reach and democratic response: A tactical framework to counter and prevent transnational repression (TNR)."
Authoritarian reach and democratic response: A tactical framework to counter and prevent transnational repression
When foreign governments conduct surveillance, intimidation, or enforcement actions, they undermine state sovereignty and threaten to erode public trust in institutions, representing a significant nat...
www.atlanticcouncil.org
October 27, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Congratulations to the entire team at @dfrlab.bsky.social for the release of "Authoritarian reach and democratic response: A tactical framework to counter and prevent transnational repression (TNR)."
#TransnationalRepression is reshaping how authoritarian regimes project power & target critics abroad. @marcuskolga.bsky.social @imleeszefung.bsky.social @kentonthibaut.bsky.social @nosumacero.bsky.social & @lisandranovo.bsky.social introduce a framework to counter these operations: bit.ly/3Xgfz9I
Authoritarian reach and democratic response: A tactical framework to counter and prevent transnational repression
When foreign governments conduct surveillance, intimidation, or enforcement actions, they undermine state sovereignty and threaten to erode public trust in institutions, representing a significant nat...
bit.ly
November 7, 2025 at 9:43 PM
#TransnationalRepression is reshaping how authoritarian regimes project power & target critics abroad. @marcuskolga.bsky.social @imleeszefung.bsky.social @kentonthibaut.bsky.social @nosumacero.bsky.social & @lisandranovo.bsky.social introduce a framework to counter these operations: bit.ly/3Xgfz9I
Reposted by DFRLab
Grokipedia sounds way too much like the pro-Kremlin Wikipedia knockoff Runiversalis, which @buziashvili.bsky.social and I wrote about for @dfrlab.bsky.social in 2022. dfrlab.org/2022/09/01/p...
October 28, 2025 at 12:36 PM
Grokipedia sounds way too much like the pro-Kremlin Wikipedia knockoff Runiversalis, which @buziashvili.bsky.social and I wrote about for @dfrlab.bsky.social in 2022. dfrlab.org/2022/09/01/p...
Reposted by DFRLab
Almost as large as the 2023 Russian TikTok operation @dfrlab.bsky.social and BBC Verify uncovered targeting former Ukrainian Def Min Oleksii Reznikov, though arguably more sophisticated, as the Moldova op used full-blown AI-generated videos rather than AI-generated voiceover audio.
October 16, 2025 at 5:36 PM
Almost as large as the 2023 Russian TikTok operation @dfrlab.bsky.social and BBC Verify uncovered targeting former Ukrainian Def Min Oleksii Reznikov, though arguably more sophisticated, as the Moldova op used full-blown AI-generated videos rather than AI-generated voiceover audio.
⏳ Loading…
The DFRLab’s #DigitalSherlocks program is preparing for its next chapter 🔎
After a pause, we are excited to share that the program will return in 2026.
For future announcements and updates, subscribe to the DFRLab’s #TheSource: bit.ly/47qKvKp
The DFRLab’s #DigitalSherlocks program is preparing for its next chapter 🔎
After a pause, we are excited to share that the program will return in 2026.
For future announcements and updates, subscribe to the DFRLab’s #TheSource: bit.ly/47qKvKp
October 17, 2025 at 5:10 PM
⏳ Loading…
The DFRLab’s #DigitalSherlocks program is preparing for its next chapter 🔎
After a pause, we are excited to share that the program will return in 2026.
For future announcements and updates, subscribe to the DFRLab’s #TheSource: bit.ly/47qKvKp
The DFRLab’s #DigitalSherlocks program is preparing for its next chapter 🔎
After a pause, we are excited to share that the program will return in 2026.
For future announcements and updates, subscribe to the DFRLab’s #TheSource: bit.ly/47qKvKp
Reposted by DFRLab
Today @dfrlab.bsky.social published an investigation into REST, a newly launched “media outlet” targeting Moldova ahead of its elxn. Our forensic analysis shows REST’s infrastructure and workflow is linked to milblogger channel Rybar, whose creator is sanctioned by the EU
dfrlab.org/2025/09/23/s...
dfrlab.org/2025/09/23/s...
Sanctioned Russian actor linked to new media outlet targeting Moldova
REST is linked to the Russian threat actor Rybar, which targets EU countries, along with Moldova.
dfrlab.org
September 24, 2025 at 12:11 AM
Today @dfrlab.bsky.social published an investigation into REST, a newly launched “media outlet” targeting Moldova ahead of its elxn. Our forensic analysis shows REST’s infrastructure and workflow is linked to milblogger channel Rybar, whose creator is sanctioned by the EU
dfrlab.org/2025/09/23/s...
dfrlab.org/2025/09/23/s...
🚨With #MoldovanElections around the corner, the information war is in full swing. The DFRLab has tracked the operations in play... here are 5 investigations to know before the Sept 28 vote 👇
September 27, 2025 at 8:35 PM
🚨With #MoldovanElections around the corner, the information war is in full swing. The DFRLab has tracked the operations in play... here are 5 investigations to know before the Sept 28 vote 👇
20 years ago, the WSIS captured lightning in a bottle. Now, with the WSIS+20 review on the horizon, the stakes for global digital governance are higher than ever.
DTI’s @kkomaitis.bsky.social calls this a pivotal moment for the internet’s future: bit.ly/4lTlvQL
DTI’s @kkomaitis.bsky.social calls this a pivotal moment for the internet’s future: bit.ly/4lTlvQL
'The multistakeholder model is the engine that powers the internet' —Konstantinos Komaitis on WSIS+20
A statement from Konstantinos Komaitis on the WSIS+20 process and the future of digital governance.
bit.ly
August 1, 2025 at 4:10 PM
20 years ago, the WSIS captured lightning in a bottle. Now, with the WSIS+20 review on the horizon, the stakes for global digital governance are higher than ever.
DTI’s @kkomaitis.bsky.social calls this a pivotal moment for the internet’s future: bit.ly/4lTlvQL
DTI’s @kkomaitis.bsky.social calls this a pivotal moment for the internet’s future: bit.ly/4lTlvQL
First Telegram bots. Now TikTok.
DFRLab exposes how Kremlin-aligned influencers are using #TikTok’s audiovisual power to sell a “revived” #Mariupol, portraying Russian rule as peaceful, and discrediting Ukraine. 📱
New from Iryna Adam: bit.ly/4m51g2e
DFRLab exposes how Kremlin-aligned influencers are using #TikTok’s audiovisual power to sell a “revived” #Mariupol, portraying Russian rule as peaceful, and discrediting Ukraine. 📱
New from Iryna Adam: bit.ly/4m51g2e
Manufacturing reality: How pro-Russian TikTok accounts promote Donbas’s revival
On TikTok, pro-Russian accounts are attempting to craft an image of a thriving Mariupol, despite concerns from citizens on the ground.
bit.ly
July 24, 2025 at 8:48 PM
First Telegram bots. Now TikTok.
DFRLab exposes how Kremlin-aligned influencers are using #TikTok’s audiovisual power to sell a “revived” #Mariupol, portraying Russian rule as peaceful, and discrediting Ukraine. 📱
New from Iryna Adam: bit.ly/4m51g2e
DFRLab exposes how Kremlin-aligned influencers are using #TikTok’s audiovisual power to sell a “revived” #Mariupol, portraying Russian rule as peaceful, and discrediting Ukraine. 📱
New from Iryna Adam: bit.ly/4m51g2e
🇨🇴 Colombia’s oldest guerrilla group the #ELN, has quietly built a digital empire across X, Meta, and more. Uncover how they've evaded platform bans, while spreading Kremlin-backed narratives & building an "alternative media" brand identity:
🔎: bit.ly/3GPNqC4
🔎: bit.ly/3GPNqC4
Kremlin-affiliated outlets find digital ally in Colombia's oldest guerrilla group
US-designated terrorist organization ELN oversees a vast digital operation that promotes pro-Kremlin and anti-US content.
bit.ly
July 21, 2025 at 7:53 PM
🇨🇴 Colombia’s oldest guerrilla group the #ELN, has quietly built a digital empire across X, Meta, and more. Uncover how they've evaded platform bans, while spreading Kremlin-backed narratives & building an "alternative media" brand identity:
🔎: bit.ly/3GPNqC4
🔎: bit.ly/3GPNqC4
The latest report from the DFRLab & OpenMinds, pulls back the curtain on a Telegram-based operation that quietly supported Russia’s occupation of Ukraine...one comment at a time 🇺🇦📱
Read the full report: bit.ly/4lz2nHx
Summary: bit.ly/3GRVamS
Read the full report: bit.ly/4lz2nHx
Summary: bit.ly/3GRVamS
Digital occupation: Pro-Russian bot networks target Ukraine's occupied territories on Telegram
Analysis of 3,634 automated accounts spreading pro-Russian propaganda on Telegram channels targeting Ukrainian populations in occupied territories.
bit.ly
July 17, 2025 at 7:22 PM
The latest report from the DFRLab & OpenMinds, pulls back the curtain on a Telegram-based operation that quietly supported Russia’s occupation of Ukraine...one comment at a time 🇺🇦📱
Read the full report: bit.ly/4lz2nHx
Summary: bit.ly/3GRVamS
Read the full report: bit.ly/4lz2nHx
Summary: bit.ly/3GRVamS
🎥 LIVE NOW
Join the DFRLab, OpenMinds and @atlanticcouncil.bsky.social Eurasia Center as we launch a new report on how 3,600+ fake Telegram accounts quietly shaped narratives in Ukraine’s occupied territories.
Watch live: t.co/117jalV1Tc
Join the DFRLab, OpenMinds and @atlanticcouncil.bsky.social Eurasia Center as we launch a new report on how 3,600+ fake Telegram accounts quietly shaped narratives in Ukraine’s occupied territories.
Watch live: t.co/117jalV1Tc
https://bit.ly/4lDuLrQ
t.co
July 16, 2025 at 2:24 PM
🎥 LIVE NOW
Join the DFRLab, OpenMinds and @atlanticcouncil.bsky.social Eurasia Center as we launch a new report on how 3,600+ fake Telegram accounts quietly shaped narratives in Ukraine’s occupied territories.
Watch live: t.co/117jalV1Tc
Join the DFRLab, OpenMinds and @atlanticcouncil.bsky.social Eurasia Center as we launch a new report on how 3,600+ fake Telegram accounts quietly shaped narratives in Ukraine’s occupied territories.
Watch live: t.co/117jalV1Tc
An influence operation that didn’t go viral...but didn’t have to.
Join us July 16 as we launch a new report w/ OpenMinds & AC Eurasia Center on how 3,600+ fake Telegram accounts quietly shaped narratives in occupied Ukraine.
Live at 10 a.m. ET: bit.ly/4lWqnEw
Join us July 16 as we launch a new report w/ OpenMinds & AC Eurasia Center on how 3,600+ fake Telegram accounts quietly shaped narratives in occupied Ukraine.
Live at 10 a.m. ET: bit.ly/4lWqnEw
Digital occupation: Inside Russia’s Telegram battle in Ukraine
A new report—launched in partnership with the Digital Forensic Research Lab, Eurasia Center, and OpenMinds—uncovers how thousands of fake Telegram accounts were used in a covert Russian influence camp...
bit.ly
July 14, 2025 at 9:39 PM
An influence operation that didn’t go viral...but didn’t have to.
Join us July 16 as we launch a new report w/ OpenMinds & AC Eurasia Center on how 3,600+ fake Telegram accounts quietly shaped narratives in occupied Ukraine.
Live at 10 a.m. ET: bit.ly/4lWqnEw
Join us July 16 as we launch a new report w/ OpenMinds & AC Eurasia Center on how 3,600+ fake Telegram accounts quietly shaped narratives in occupied Ukraine.
Live at 10 a.m. ET: bit.ly/4lWqnEw
Reposted by DFRLab
A recent analysis by the Atlantic Council’s @dfrlab.bsky.social reveals that Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok played a problematic role in spreading disinformation during the early days of the Israel-Iran conflict.
Grok struggles with fact-checking amid Israel-Iran war
An analysis of over 100,000 posts on X reveals Grok's inaccurate and conflicting verifications in responses regarding the Israel-Iran war.
dfrlab.org
July 4, 2025 at 1:17 PM
A recent analysis by the Atlantic Council’s @dfrlab.bsky.social reveals that Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok played a problematic role in spreading disinformation during the early days of the Israel-Iran conflict.
What does modern occupation look like online? 🤖
Join the DFRLab, OpenMinds & Eurasia Center on July 16 at 10:00a.m. for a live discussion on how pro-Russian Telegram bots flooded Ukrainian channels w/ messages simulating support for occupation: bit.ly/4lDuLrQ
Join the DFRLab, OpenMinds & Eurasia Center on July 16 at 10:00a.m. for a live discussion on how pro-Russian Telegram bots flooded Ukrainian channels w/ messages simulating support for occupation: bit.ly/4lDuLrQ
Digital occupation: Inside Russia’s Telegram battle in Ukraine
A new report—launched in partnership with the Digital Forensic Research Lab, Eurasia Center, and OpenMinds—uncovers how thousands of fake Telegram accounts were used in a covert Russian influence camp...
bit.ly
July 9, 2025 at 7:47 PM
What does modern occupation look like online? 🤖
Join the DFRLab, OpenMinds & Eurasia Center on July 16 at 10:00a.m. for a live discussion on how pro-Russian Telegram bots flooded Ukrainian channels w/ messages simulating support for occupation: bit.ly/4lDuLrQ
Join the DFRLab, OpenMinds & Eurasia Center on July 16 at 10:00a.m. for a live discussion on how pro-Russian Telegram bots flooded Ukrainian channels w/ messages simulating support for occupation: bit.ly/4lDuLrQ
Reposted by DFRLab
In this week's episode of the Active Measure Newsletter's podcast I was invited to discuss the content of our joint investigation with @dfrlab.bsky.social and @checkfirst.network on the Pravda Network and the consequences of the poisoning of LLMs & the targeting of Wikipedia
omny.fm/shows/active...
omny.fm/shows/active...
The Pravda Network with Valentin Chatelet - The Active Measures Newsletter Podcast
This week, Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson welcome Valentin Chatelet, a research associate at the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab, for an urgent discussion of the Pravda Network--a Russia...
omny.fm
June 30, 2025 at 1:30 PM
In this week's episode of the Active Measure Newsletter's podcast I was invited to discuss the content of our joint investigation with @dfrlab.bsky.social and @checkfirst.network on the Pravda Network and the consequences of the poisoning of LLMs & the targeting of Wikipedia
omny.fm/shows/active...
omny.fm/shows/active...
War through Grok-tinted glasses? 🤖 As tensions escalated between Israel & Iran, X's #Grok became an unlikely narrator of the war—often getting it wrong. DFRLab's @estebanpdl.bsky.social analyzed 130k+ posts to uncover how the AI amplified confusion in conflict's early days: bit.ly/3FULvvB
Grok struggles with fact-checking amid Israel-Iran war
An analysis of over 100,000 posts on X reveals Grok's inaccurate and conflicting verifications in responses regarding the Israel-Iran war.
bit.ly
June 25, 2025 at 3:16 PM
War through Grok-tinted glasses? 🤖 As tensions escalated between Israel & Iran, X's #Grok became an unlikely narrator of the war—often getting it wrong. DFRLab's @estebanpdl.bsky.social analyzed 130k+ posts to uncover how the AI amplified confusion in conflict's early days: bit.ly/3FULvvB
Reposted by DFRLab
A deepfake video of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney went viral on TikTok and X. Despite being labeled, fact-checked, and eventually removed, the claims in the video continued to be amplified, illustrating how AI-generated disinformation persists. dfrlab.org/2025/06/19/d... @dfrlab.bsky.social
Deepfake video of Canadian Prime Minister reaches millions on TikTok, X
Even after removal and debunking, the video’s claims gained traction via high-profile accounts.
dfrlab.org
June 19, 2025 at 4:08 PM
A deepfake video of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney went viral on TikTok and X. Despite being labeled, fact-checked, and eventually removed, the claims in the video continued to be amplified, illustrating how AI-generated disinformation persists. dfrlab.org/2025/06/19/d... @dfrlab.bsky.social
HAPPENING NOW: Join Vint Cerf, Anriette Esterhuysen, Jason Pielemeier, and Chengetai Masango as they explore the IGF’s legacy—and why defending an open internet is more urgent than ever 🛜
🔗Livestream: www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wQM...
🔗Livestream: www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wQM...
Why the UN’s Internet Governance Forum still matters twenty years on
YouTube video by AtlanticCouncil
www.youtube.com
June 12, 2025 at 12:59 PM
HAPPENING NOW: Join Vint Cerf, Anriette Esterhuysen, Jason Pielemeier, and Chengetai Masango as they explore the IGF’s legacy—and why defending an open internet is more urgent than ever 🛜
🔗Livestream: www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wQM...
🔗Livestream: www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wQM...
There’s still time to register!
Join the Democracy + Tech Initiative on June 12 at 9:00a.m. for a conversation on why @intgovforum.bsky.social matters now more than ever.
🔗Registration: bit.ly/3SCO9J6
Join the Democracy + Tech Initiative on June 12 at 9:00a.m. for a conversation on why @intgovforum.bsky.social matters now more than ever.
🔗Registration: bit.ly/3SCO9J6
Why the UN’s Internet Governance Forum still matters twenty years on
Hosted by the Democracy + Tech Initiative, this conversation brings together experts to explore the importance of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) and the role it has played for the past twenty yea...
bit.ly
June 11, 2025 at 1:23 PM
There’s still time to register!
Join the Democracy + Tech Initiative on June 12 at 9:00a.m. for a conversation on why @intgovforum.bsky.social matters now more than ever.
🔗Registration: bit.ly/3SCO9J6
Join the Democracy + Tech Initiative on June 12 at 9:00a.m. for a conversation on why @intgovforum.bsky.social matters now more than ever.
🔗Registration: bit.ly/3SCO9J6