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Fil Menczer @fil.bsky.social · 2d

Researchers say Israeli government likely behind AI-generated disinfo campaign in Iran

cyberscoop.com/citizen-lab-...

Researchers say Israeli government likely behind AI-generated disinfo campaign in Iran

The group leveraged dozens of social media accounts and “routinely used” AI-generated imagery and video to stoke unrest among Iran’s population, according to Citizen Lab.

cyberscoop.com

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Fil Menczer @fil.bsky.social · 2d

Russia’s disinfo machine targets elections in more countries with no fear of US reactions

www.politico.com/newsletters/...

How Russia’s disinfo machine is leveling up

Czechs head to the polls Friday for a parliamentary vote that has become the latest testing ground for Russia’s online disinformation machine.

www.politico.com

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Reposted by Fil Menczer

Ozgur Can Seckin @ozgurcanseckin.bsky.social · 5d

Kudos to my wonderful advisors and coworker who made this paper possible! @baottruong.bsky.social @alessandroflammini @fil.bsky.social 🙏

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Reposted by Fil Menczer

Ozgur Can Seckin @ozgurcanseckin.bsky.social · 5d

We propose that "constructive conflicts" can model healthier, "bridging" content 🌉 But, “destructive conflicts" shouldn't be ignored but approached with careful linguistic choices to transform toxic arguments into productive dialogues.

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Reposted by Fil Menczer

Ozgur Can Seckin @ozgurcanseckin.bsky.social · 5d

Since destructive conflicts are too important to ignore, we analyze their language 🔍 We find that how something is said matters immensely. Civil language (asking questions, providing detail, and using hedges) makes posts far more resilient to toxicity, while negative language has the opposite effect

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Reposted by Fil Menczer

Ozgur Can Seckin @ozgurcanseckin.bsky.social · 5d

- Destructive conflicts 🪖 (high C & high TA, panel c) focus on polarizing identity issues like abortion and LGBTQ+ rights.
- Constructive conflicts 🕊️ (high C & low TA, panel d) spark civil debate on policy topics like student loans, AI, and marijuana legalization.

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Reposted by Fil Menczer

Ozgur Can Seckin @ozgurcanseckin.bsky.social · 5d

To identify constructive conflict, we train two models to score posts based on their likelihood of attracting toxic comments - which we call toxicity attraction (TA) model - and their controversiality - (C) model 💻 Plotting the scores inferred by these models shows clear patterns.

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Reposted by Fil Menczer

Ozgur Can Seckin @ozgurcanseckin.bsky.social · 5d

We find that a post doesn't need to be toxic to attract toxic comments ☢️ Our Reddit data shows that 47% of non-toxic submissions still attract at least one toxic reply, while only 6% of toxic submissions do. The initial post's content, therefore, is a poor predictor of a comment section's health.

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Reposted by Fil Menczer

Ozgur Can Seckin @ozgurcanseckin.bsky.social · 5d

In our research, we argue that the key lies in identifying constructive conflict — controversial posts that are toxicity resilient. We define a "toxicity resilient" post as one that is less likely to attract toxic responses from other users. See our #ICWSM2026 paper here arxiv.org/abs/2509.18303 📖

Identifying Constructive Conflict in Online Discussions through Controversial yet Toxicity Resilient Posts

Bridging content that brings together individuals with opposing viewpoints on social media remains elusive, overshadowed by echo chambers and toxic exchanges. We propose that algorithmic curation coul...

arxiv.org

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Reposted by Fil Menczer

Ozgur Can Seckin @ozgurcanseckin.bsky.social · 5d

A simple solution, prioritizing only “the feel-good" content, is flawed, as it avoids important societal topics that are inherently negative and can devolve into toxic debates. After all, how often does thinking about wars, viruses, or economic policy put a smile on your face?

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Reposted by Fil Menczer

Ozgur Can Seckin @ozgurcanseckin.bsky.social · 5d

Modern social media is divisive, partly due to recommender algorithms that promote emotionally charged, negative content at the expense of thoughtful discourse. Researchers are exploring prosocial recommenders that foster positive outcomes, aiming for users to feel connected rather than angry 💡

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Reposted by Fil Menczer

Science Feedback @sciencefeedback.bsky.social · 9d

🚨 New report out: the first cross-platform, cross-country baseline on misinformation in Europe

Based on large scale data analysis: ~2.6M posts (24B views) collected on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, X & YouTube

science.feedback.org/first-measurement-disinformation-major-platforms-europe

What our first measurement says about disinformation on major platforms in Europe - Science Feedback

Science Feedback and partners have released a first measurement of Structural Indicators across six Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) in four EU member states (France, Spain, Poland, Slovakia). Belo...

science.feedback.org

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Fil Menczer @fil.bsky.social · 15d

Location moved to IMU State Rooms East and West

Fil Menczer @fil.bsky.social · 19d

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Fil Menczer @fil.bsky.social · 16d

Foreign disinformation about Charlie Kirk's killing seeks to widen US divisions (just as Trump's State Department ends its remaining efforts to counter foreign disinformation)

apnews.com/article/char...

Foreign disinformation about Charlie Kirk's killing seeks to widen US divisions

Russia moved quickly to exploit conservative activist Charlie Kirk's shooting death at a Utah college, with groups linked to the Kremlin spreading false and misleading claims that experts say are desi...

apnews.com

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Fil Menczer @fil.bsky.social · 19d

Join my OSoMe colleagues and me for a panel on "AI, Social Media, and the New Information Landscape" co-organized by the Center of Excellence for Women & Technology and the Observatory on Social Media.

📅 Wed 24 Sep at 5pm, IMU Oak Room

More info & registration: events.iu.edu/cewit/event/...

AI, Social Media, and the New Information Landscape

In a world where AI can generate headlines, deepfakes, and even entire news articles, how can you tell what’s real? Join us for a panel discussio...

events.iu.edu

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Fil Menczer @fil.bsky.social · 22d

We're immensely grateful to @knightfoundation.org for continuing to support our OSoMe work even when research on information integrity is no longer aligned with the funding priorities of the US federal government:

osome.iu.edu/research/blo...

Indiana University's Observatory on Social Media Receives $1 Million Grant from the Knight Foundation

The Observatory on Social Media (OSoMe) at Indiana University has been awarded a new $1 million grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to...

osome.iu.edu

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Fil Menczer @fil.bsky.social · 23d

Russia Steps Up Disinformation Efforts as Trump Abandons Resistance www.nytimes.com/2025/09/07/b...

Russia Steps Up Disinformation Efforts as Trump Abandons Resistance

www.nytimes.com

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Fil Menczer @fil.bsky.social · 26d

Don't forget, we kick off the 2025-2026 OSoMe Awesome Speakers with Patrick Warren today!

Fil Menczer @fil.bsky.social · Aug 28

🚨 First OSoMe Awesome Speaker of the year! 🚨

📅 Sept 12 | 12pm ET
🎤 Patrick Warren (Clemson University)
📍 Zoom

Measuring the Impact of a Large State-Sponsored Narrative-Laundering Campaign: The case of the Storm-1516 attack on Zelensky

🔗 Register: iu.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

Reposted by Fil Menczer

Michal Luria @mluria.bsky.social · 28d

It’s not every day that UX researcher whistleblowers testify before the Senate. Yesterday, two former Meta researchers, Jason Sattizahn and Cayce Savage, shared their concerns with safety research for Meta VR products, and more broadly within Meta. So how does UX research move on from here? 🧵

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Fil Menczer @fil.bsky.social · Sep 7

AI False Information Rate Nearly Doubles in One Year: @newsguard.bsky.social report

www.newsguardtech.com/ai-monitor/a...

August 2025 — AI False Claim Monitor

www.newsguardtech.com

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Fil Menczer @fil.bsky.social · Sep 3

Trump Is Ruling by Willful Blindness www.nytimes.com/2025/08/29/o...

Opinion | Trump Is Ruling by Willful Blindness

www.nytimes.com

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Fil Menczer @fil.bsky.social · Aug 28

🚨 First OSoMe Awesome Speaker of the year! 🚨

📅 Sept 12 | 12pm ET
🎤 Patrick Warren (Clemson University)
📍 Zoom

Measuring the Impact of a Large State-Sponsored Narrative-Laundering Campaign: The case of the Storm-1516 attack on Zelensky

🔗 Register: iu.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

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Fil Menczer @fil.bsky.social · Aug 22

Deepfake videos impersonating real doctors push false medical advice and treatments. What could possibly go wrong? (This Is why we need both research and policy to fight AI abuse.)

www.cbsnews.com/news/deepfak...

Deepfake videos impersonating real doctors push false medical advice and treatments

AI-generated, deepfake videos that appear to show real physicians are being used to push false medical advice and questionable products.

www.cbsnews.com

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Fil Menczer @fil.bsky.social · Aug 22

Antivax disinfo works, sadly.

www.nbcnews.com/tech/interne...

Anti-vaccine myths surged on social media ahead of the CDC shooting

Before the shooting, social media companies relaxed their protocols around misinformation.

www.nbcnews.com

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