Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Marc Owen Jones

@marcowenjones.bsky.social

27K followers 2K following 1.1K posts

Associate Professor Northwestern University in Qatar | Studies Disinfo, Digital Repression & Gulf Politics | Author Digital Authoritarianism in the Middle East (Hurst & OUP) Political Repression in Bahrain (Cambridge University Press) | Cat Fancier

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Marc Owen Jones @marcowenjones.bsky.social · May 15

From my latest. "Even now, my colleagues are debating whether it is safe to attend conferences in the United States after a French scientist was denied entry because border agents found private communications criticizing the Trump administration’s research policy". direct.mit.edu/daed/article...

Lessons from the Digital Coalface in the Post-Truth Age: Researching the Middle East Amid Authenticity Vacuums, Transnational Repression & Disinformation

Drawing on thirteen years of personal experience researching Middle Eastern politics, I examine how digitality has eroded traditional boundaries between safety and danger, public and private, and demo...

direct.mit.edu

1 12 33

Marc Owen Jones @marcowenjones.bsky.social · 1d

Another new post! Doctor Doctor Give Me The Fake News: AI-Powered Medic From Ohio Tweeting Propaganda About Sudan, Israel and European Migration
How a verified fake doctor on X spread AI-generated propaganda about Gaza and Sudan marcowenjones.substack.com/p/doctor-doc... #Disinformation

Doctor Doctor Give Me The Fake News: AI-Powered Medic From Ohio Tweeting Propaganda About Sudan, Israel and European Migration

How a verified fake doctor on X spread AI-generated propaganda about Gaza and Sudan

marcowenjones.substack.com

7 17

Reposted by Marc Owen Jones

Gary R. Bunt @garyrbunt.bsky.social · 2d

Taking a look at this from @marcowenjones.bsky.social on Sudan's social media and AI.

Ahmed Gatnash @gatnash.com · 2d

Part of your information landscape is very likely fake and designed to influence you. Read @marcowenjones.bsky.social 's investigations to begin grasping the extent. marcowenjones.substack.com/p/nobody-tal...

2 6

Marc Owen Jones @marcowenjones.bsky.social · 2d

anti muslim-'brotherhood'...

1 1

Marc Owen Jones @marcowenjones.bsky.social · 2d

New investigation. "Nobody Talks Like This: Meet 50 AI-Powered Propaganda Accounts in Sudan's Social Media War"

How 50 AI-generated accounts are flooding Twitter with pro-UAE and anti-Muslim (Brotherhood) propaganda on Sudan's civil war

marcowenjones.substack.com/p/nobody-tal... #disinformation

1 11 25

Reposted by Marc Owen Jones

Ahmed Gatnash @gatnash.com · 2d

1 7

Reposted by Marc Owen Jones

Kris Ruijgrok @krisruijgrok.bsky.social · 2d

Fascinating insights on Israel’s influence operations in the US, costing millions. Particularly striking is how the contracts openly talk about the usage of bots to “flood the zone”

Marc Owen Jones @marcowenjones.bsky.social · 2d

Summary of some of the government of Israel's $8 million spend in the US in the past few months to serve propaganda to gen Z, manipulate AI, co-copt influencers, and flood the zone with bots open.substack.com/pub/marcowen...

7 15

Marc Owen Jones @marcowenjones.bsky.social · 2d

1 16 44

Marc Owen Jones @marcowenjones.bsky.social · 2d

I want to hear where Van Jones gets his 'evidence' that Iran and Qatar are running a "disinformation campaign" about dead Gaza babies? If you're gonna make such big claims as a journalist you'd better bring receipts.

Senator Chris Van Hollen @vanhollen.senate.gov · 2d

I’m glad Van Jones apologized for his sick joking about dead kids in Gaza.

But the problem goes deeper: he spread Netanyahu propaganda that the mass killings of civilians in Gaza—including 20K+ kids—is Iranian fake news.

It’s not the students and young people who are fooled. It’s Van Jones.

2 42

Marc Owen Jones @marcowenjones.bsky.social · 22d

he deleted it

2 2

Marc Owen Jones @marcowenjones.bsky.social · 23d

I know it's not the point but it doesn't even look like the Admiralty Arch or Marble Arch for that matter. The fact there's wasn't even a March in that semi fictional area is the icing on the cake

Marc Owen Jones @marcowenjones.bsky.social · 23d

Musk sharing an AI generated image of the Arc de Triomphe with loads of England and Union flags thinking it's London is peak information disorder.

21 99 360

Marc Owen Jones @marcowenjones.bsky.social · 28d

Genuinely sick

2 8 30

Marc Owen Jones @marcowenjones.bsky.social · 28d

America's "warning" to Qatar

3 19

Marc Owen Jones @marcowenjones.bsky.social · 29d

Look what's in close proximity to Israel's illegal attack on Doha, at least 2 nurseries, 3 schools, 6 embassies, a petrol station, a public park. This all happened in the middle of the afternoon, when schools are ending and children engaging in extra curricular activities

3 33 51

Reposted by Marc Owen Jones

Marc Owen Jones @marcowenjones.bsky.social · Aug 30

Super excited for this week's Rawabet conference at @nuqatar.bsky.social : Shaping The AI-Empowered Future of Knowledge, Scholarship, and Creativity.

I'll be presenting on AI Sloperations and Slopaganda!

Sept 1-2 Program > www.qatar.northwestern.edu/special-even...

Rawabet Conference Series

www.qatar.northwestern.edu

1 5

Marc Owen Jones @marcowenjones.bsky.social · Aug 30

Rawabet Conference Series

www.qatar.northwestern.edu

1 5

Marc Owen Jones @marcowenjones.bsky.social · Aug 22

3/3 Once again Big Tech showing their willingness to take money in exchange for pro-genocidal propaganda.

5 20

Marc Owen Jones @marcowenjones.bsky.social · Aug 22

2/3 This is a link to one of the ads, trying to say that there is plenty of food in Gaza. Their recent campaign has focused on blaming the UN for not delivering enough food. www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKB0...

1 6 11

Marc Owen Jones @marcowenjones.bsky.social · Aug 22

1/3 Google and X are accepting thousands of dollars to run Youtube ads by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs that are whitewashing famine in Gaza. Between May and July alone they spent >$138 k targeting Germany alone. #GazaGenocide

2 30 32

Marc Owen Jones @marcowenjones.bsky.social · Aug 21

Ahhh so it's not genocide if it takes longer than an afternoon?

Why is Netanyahu engaging in Holocaust denial now?

1 12 49

Marc Owen Jones @marcowenjones.bsky.social · Aug 20

August 2024, "Rafah is the last Hamas stronghold"
August 2025, "Gaza City is the last Hamas stronghold"

It's almost like Israel are using Hamas as an excuse to occupy Gaza... #GazaGenocide

20 76 200

Marc Owen Jones @marcowenjones.bsky.social · Aug 18

you don't demand action on Palestine?

Marc Owen Jones @marcowenjones.bsky.social · Aug 18

UK right now.

Do you support taking action to end Israel's genocide?

Yes👌

Do you support taking action to end genocide of Palestinians?

Yes👌

So you support taking some sort of action on Palestine?

Yes👌

So what you're saying is you support Palestine action?

Jail

8 9 37

Marc Owen Jones @marcowenjones.bsky.social · Aug 15

"Sources close to the United States Secret Service has joined Thames Valley Police in denying asking for residents’ social media.

The source said: "The US Secret Service did not collect social media information from any UK residents.”" www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/2539089...

Secret Service 'did not check' Cotswolds social media details

The Secret Service has not been asking for social media details of Cotswolds residents.

www.oxfordmail.co.uk

1 3 5

Marc Owen Jones @marcowenjones.bsky.social · Aug 15

Fascist aesthetic

Nick Brumfield @nickjbrumfield.bsky.social · Aug 15

My first thought is this is tyranny

My second thought is those fucking APCs are clogging up an already very clogged traffic circle

Republicans Against Trumpism @rpsagainsttrump.bsky.social · Aug 15

DC Union Station tonight. Unreal.

1 9