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Alliance for Securing Democracy

@securedemocracy.bsky.social

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The Alliance for Securing Democracy at the German Marshall Fund of the United States (@gmfus.bsky.social) is a nonpartisan, transatlantic initiative that aims to defend against and deter efforts to undermine democracy.

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Alliance for Securing Democracy @securedemocracy.bsky.social · 8d

American opponents of social-media regulation often criticize EU legislation as a form of censorship.

By contrast, the EU's model could provide those opponents with the mechanisms to hold platforms accountable, ASD's David Salvo & Bret Schafer write. ⤵️

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/in-denouncin...

In Denouncing Regulation, Conservatives Put Freedom of Speech Online at Greater Risk

Social-media platforms have long drawn American conservatives' ire for the former's content-moderation policies. During the first Trump and Biden administrations, much ado was made about the platforms...

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org

Alliance for Securing Democracy @securedemocracy.bsky.social · 9d

Before Moldova's 2024 elections, US-funded outlets provided an alternative to the Kremlin's media.

Less than a year later, those outlets are "slowly but steadily receding ... to the seeming benefit of Russian propagandists", ASD researchers find. ⤵️

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/rising-and-f...

Rising and Falling Tides: How Russia Has Benefited from Cuts to US Government-Funded Media in Moldova

Moldovans return to the polls on Sunday to vote for their parliamentary representatives in an election whose outcome could determine whether the country continues its path towards EU membership or piv...

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org

Alliance for Securing Democracy @securedemocracy.bsky.social · 13d

💬 American conservatives often reject social-media regulation on the grounds that it stifles speech.

Conversely, the lack of regulation places speech at greater risk by leaving it subject to political pressure, ASD's David Salvo & Bret Schafer write. ⤵️

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/in-denouncin...

In Denouncing Regulation, Conservatives Put Freedom of Speech Online at Greater Risk

Social-media platforms have long drawn American conservatives' ire for the former's content-moderation policies. During the first Trump and Biden administrations, much ado was made about the platforms...

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org

Alliance for Securing Democracy @securedemocracy.bsky.social · Aug 29

Last week, the Trump administration axed the last remaining federal organ that tracks & analyzes foreign interference in US elections & society.

But US adversaries "have no interest in slowing down" such operations, David Salvo warns @justsecurity.org. ⤵️

www.justsecurity.org/119653/wjh-d...

Dismantling the Foreign Malign Influence Center

Tulsi Gabbard is dismantling the last U.S. government organ dedicated to tracking State-sponsored efforts to interfere in U.S. institutions.

www.justsecurity.org

Alliance for Securing Democracy @securedemocracy.bsky.social · Aug 12

🌎 RT & Sputnik's Spanish social media framed US border policies in the language of human rights more than 4 times as much as their English accounts.

Here's how Russia's messaging applies divergent narratives between languages @krysiasikora.bsky.social. ⤵️
securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/cross-border...

Cross-Border Communication: How Russian State Media Sends Mixed Signals on Trump’s Border Policies in English and Spanish

Since his first day returning to office, US President Donald Trump has pushed forward on campaign promises to crack down on illegal immigration and secure the southern US border. Trump’s tough stance ...

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org

Alliance for Securing Democracy @securedemocracy.bsky.social · Aug 11

"I don't see much that's going to change the decision-making calculus in Moscow right now.

The whole economy is propped up to fight this war."

🎙️ Tune in to ASD's David Salvo & @ianmastersmedia.bsky.social's conversation about upcoming US-Russia negotiations on the war in Ukraine. ⤵️

Ian Masters @ianmastersmedia.bsky.social · Aug 7

We are joined by David Salvo to discuss the upcoming summit in the UAE between President Trump and President Putin in the hope we all share of ending Russia's war on Ukraine that many experts on Russia and Ukraine think is unlikely to happen. soundcloud.com/user-8304426...

Low Expectations For the Upcoming Putin/Trump Summit

August 7, 2025 - David Salvo backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

Reposted by Alliance for Securing Democracy

Ian Masters @ianmastersmedia.bsky.social · Aug 7

We are joined by David Salvo to discuss the upcoming summit in the UAE between President Trump and President Putin in the hope we all share of ending Russia's war on Ukraine that many experts on Russia and Ukraine think is unlikely to happen. soundcloud.com/user-8304426...

Low Expectations For the Upcoming Putin/Trump Summit

August 7, 2025 - David Salvo backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

Alliance for Securing Democracy @securedemocracy.bsky.social · Aug 7

Russian state media's English- and Spanish-language accounts adopted contradictory positions about US immigration policy.

@krysiasikora.bsky.social explains how this reflects a strategy to exacerbate friction between the US & Latin America. ⤵️

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/cross-border...

Cross-Border Communication: How Russian State Media Sends Mixed Signals on Trump’s Border Policies in English and Spanish

Since his first day returning to office, US President Donald Trump has pushed forward on campaign promises to crack down on illegal immigration and secure the southern US border. Trump’s tough stance ...

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org

Alliance for Securing Democracy @securedemocracy.bsky.social · Aug 6

🆕 In English, Russian state media aligned with the Trump administration on US border policy.

🌎 But in Spanish, they sought to fuel discontent with US policies and exacerbate divides with Latin American audiences.

More below @krysiasikora.bsky.social. ⤵️
securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/cross-border...

Cross-Border Communication: How Russian State Media Sends Mixed Signals on Trump’s Border Policies in English and Spanish

Since his first day returning to office, US President Donald Trump has pushed forward on campaign promises to crack down on illegal immigration and secure the southern US border. Trump’s tough stance ...

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org

Reposted by Alliance for Securing Democracy

Krysia Sikora @krysiasikora.bsky.social · Aug 5

Russian state media’s English and Spanish-language accounts adopted contradictory positions on Trump’s immigration and border policies to exacerbate friction between the United States and Latin America.

See my findings from my new @securedemocracy.bsky.social @gmfus.bsky.social analysis below ⤵️

Cross-Border Communication: How Russian State Media Sends Mixed Signals on Trump’s Border Policies in English and Spanish

Since his first day returning to office, US President Donald Trump has pushed forward on campaign promises to crack down on illegal immigration and secure the southern US border. Trump’s tough stance ...

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org

Alliance for Securing Democracy @securedemocracy.bsky.social · Aug 4

Russia's influence campaigns don't only rely on words.

📷 Images cross borders quickly and shape narratives that cannot be captured in single-language text alone, @benzoni.bsky.social shows. ⤵️

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/whos-reusing...

Who’s Reusing Russian State Media’s Images?

Introduction Threat actors increasingly operate across national boundaries, but information-operation detection rarely extends beyond single-language analysis, leaving blind spots in multilingual and...

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org

Alliance for Securing Democracy @securedemocracy.bsky.social · Jul 29

The past few years' corruption scandals reveal how susceptible EU institutions remain to foreign influence.

The EU's proposed Anti-Corruption Directive presents a path forward, if it stays on the bloc's agenda, ASD experts assess. 👇

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/countering-f...

Countering FIMI Also Requires Addressing Corruption

The EU has, in recent years, made great strides to combat foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI), but these efforts have too often neglected the acronym’s second “I”. This is regrett...

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org

Alliance for Securing Democracy @securedemocracy.bsky.social · Jul 23

Venezuela's state-run TeleSUR network functions as a conduit for Russian, Chinese, and other authoritarian regimes' content in Latin America.

@marcossjb.bsky.social analyzes TeleSUR's role in "a sophisticated web of international information warfare." ⤵️

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/venezuela-th...

Venezuela Through the Sino-Russian Media Playbook

Russia and China’s information operations in Venezuela have been extensively discussed and documented. Their media strategy has involved forming partnerships with ideologically aligned national and re...

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org

Alliance for Securing Democracy @securedemocracy.bsky.social · Jul 22

"It is easy to dismiss foreign information operations" as a national issue in the US.

But they are increasingly designed to "exploit trust in local sources and impact state and local communities",
@krysiasikora.bsky.social and Bret Schafer write. ⤵️
securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/the-states-o...

The State(s) of Foreign Information Operations: A State-by-State Look at Foreign Information Manipulation in the United States

Introduction It is easy to dismiss foreign information operations as playing out at the national level, designed to influence federal policymakers and Beltway insiders. But these threats transcend t...

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org

Alliance for Securing Democracy @securedemocracy.bsky.social · Jul 21

🎙️ Foreign information campaigns have "seized on" an already complicated US information ecosystem.

ASD experts told WFAE 90.7's Charlotte Talks about how Russia, China, and others increasingly target the state level to exacerbate local divides. ⤵️

www.wfae.org/show/charlot...

Foreign adversaries sow division in local communities, including North Carolina, report says

For years, foreign adversaries have worked to spread misinformation. The German Marshall Fund found that Russia, China and others are becoming more effective at it, targeting state and local governmen...

Alliance for Securing Democracy @securedemocracy.bsky.social · Jul 17

A mix of translated state media, social-media content, and local proxies is how the Kremlin keeps a presence in Poland's information space despite formal restrictions.

@benzoni.bsky.social @krysiasikora.bsky.social & @doroshishka.bsky.social analyze. ⬇️
securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/new-proxy-sa...

New Proxy, Same as the Old Proxy: Key Sites of Russia’s Covert Influence in Poland

Poland was one of the first countries to take steps to curb Russian propaganda in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Days after the invasion, Poland’s broadcasting regulator banned f...

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org

Alliance for Securing Democracy @securedemocracy.bsky.social · Jul 15

The shuttering of Voice of America and other networks has created "greater opportunity for US adversaries to shape public perceptions worldwide" with their state-media outlets,
@nanagongadze.bsky.social & Bret Schafer write @gmfus.bsky.social. ⤵️
www.gmfus.org/news/washing...

Washington Silences Its Own Voice

Alliance for Securing Democracy @securedemocracy.bsky.social · Jul 14

An airtight EU ban on RT and Sputnik is likely impossible due to their efforts to circumvent enforcement through alternative links, podcasts, and more.

Regardless, remaining vigilant about those efforts remains key,
@doroshishka.bsky.social argues. ⬇️

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/catch-me-if-...

Catch Me If EU Can: How RT and Sputnik Evade EU Content Bans

That Russian state media outlets have developed varied ways to circumvent EU sanctions to continue reaching audiences in Europe is well documented. The methods often include the use of mirror sites, o...

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org

Alliance for Securing Democracy @securedemocracy.bsky.social · Jul 11

Russian military bloggers' response to Ukrainian attacks on bridges & strategic bombers "reveal several important trends in Russia's information space."

@doroshishka.bsky.social analyzes their reactions here. ⤵️

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/caught-in-th...

Caught in the Spider’s Web: Military Bloggers Revealed Gaps in Russia’s Military and Information Defense

Ukraine’s operation, “Spider’s Web”, took the Kremlin by surprise and sent shockwaves from targeted military airfields to destinations far away from the frontline. Even though the final number of dest...

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org

Alliance for Securing Democracy @securedemocracy.bsky.social · Jul 10

💬 Democracies should pay more attention to digital literacy.

"Understanding how information systems work" helps defend against foreign actors who exploit algorithms or vulnerabilities to change public discourse, ASD's Bret Schafer told Los Angeles World Affairs Council. ⤵️

youtu.be/H-e-gRkb8nM?...

Modern Information Warfare: Strategies Used by Foreign Adversaries to Shape U.S. Discourse

YouTube video by Los Angeles World Affairs Council

Alliance for Securing Democracy @securedemocracy.bsky.social · Jul 9

In response to Iran-Israel hostilities, Russian officials and state media exploited the crisis to warn of "nuclear disaster" and "World War III."

Read more from @doroshishka.bsky.social @krysiasikora.bsky.social & @etiennesoula.bsky.social. ⬇️

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/taming-the-r...

Taming the Rising Lion: Alignment of Iranian, Russian, and Chinese Narratives on the Israel-Iran Conflict

Dubbing it “Operation Rising Lion”, I

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org

Alliance for Securing Democracy @securedemocracy.bsky.social · Jul 8

Across RT and Sputnik's 2024 posts in 7 languages, ASD found 308 links directing to mirror websites, duplicate social-media accounts, or podcasts.

These underscore Russia's efforts to escape formal 🇪🇺 restrictions, @doroshishka.bsky.social writes. 👇

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/catch-me-if-...

Catch Me If EU Can: How RT and Sputnik Evade EU Content Bans

That Russian state media outlets have developed varied ways to circumvent EU sanctions to continue reaching audiences in Europe is well documented. The methods often include the use of mirror sites, o...

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org

Alliance for Securing Democracy @securedemocracy.bsky.social · Jul 7

Russia, China, Iran, and other countries conduct information operations "not to change 250 million minds."

Rather, they try "to get that 1 or 2% that can create whatever outcome they're after."

📺 Bret Schafer discusses more with Los Angeles World Affairs Council. ⤵️
youtu.be/H-e-gRkb8nM?...

Modern Information Warfare: Strategies Used by Foreign Adversaries to Shape U.S. Discourse

YouTube video by Los Angeles World Affairs Council

Alliance for Securing Democracy @securedemocracy.bsky.social · Jul 3

Russian military bloggers, in response to Ukraine's large-scale drone attack, showed "shifting sentiments toward Russia's adversaries."

Though still wary of the US, they cast the EU/UK as Russia's principal antagonists, @doroshishka.bsky.social writes. 👇

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/caught-in-th...

Caught in the Spider’s Web: Military Bloggers Revealed Gaps in Russia’s Military and Information Defense

Ukraine’s operation, “Spider’s Web”, took the Kremlin by surprise and sent shockwaves from targeted military airfields to destinations far away from the frontline. Even though the final number of dest...

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org

Alliance for Securing Democracy @securedemocracy.bsky.social · Jul 2

"By flooding the information space with their version of events", Russia, China, & others seek to "change people's perceptions on world events and historical narratives", ASD's Bret Schafer warns.

📺 Watch the full discussion. ⤵️
youtu.be/H-e-gRkb8nM?...

Modern Information Warfare: Strategies Used by Foreign Adversaries to Shape U.S. Discourse

YouTube video by Los Angeles World Affairs Council