Disinfo Docket 10 April

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Highlights

1. The wrong, the wicked, and the wacky – Claims about the EU Mission in Armenia (EUvsDisinfo, 8 April)
2. Chinese hackers are using AI to inflame social tensions in US, Microsoft says (The Record by Recorded Future, 8 April)
3. Digital Services Act Roundup: February - March 2024 (Tech Policy Press, 10 April)
4. Election disinformation: How AI-powered bots work and how you can protect yourself from their influence (Phys.org, 10 April)

It is possible to challenge misinformation or misleading statements without restricting freedom of expression.

We have long argued that content neutral solutions like transparent labelling or the promotion of trustworthy information are preferable to removing content. [1/2] pic.twitter.com/58DwM310Z1

— Full Fact (@FullFact) April 10, 2024

1. Academia & Research

1. Far-right media figures are using the eclipse and recent earthquake to push apocalyptic conspiracy theories (Media Matters for America, 8 April)
2. Pitfalls of Conversational LLMs on News Debiasing (arXiv, 9 April)

LISTEN - Cholera: is disinformation causing deaths in Southern Africa? (BBC, 9 April)

2. Platforms & Technology

1. Elon Musk's X Loses in Court: Why It Matters for Independent Technology Research (Tech Policy Press, 7 April)
2. Elon Musk investigated by Brazilian supreme court judge after allegedly waging public 'disinformation campaign' (Sky News, 8 April)
3. Musk's X publishes fake news headline on Iran-Israel generated by its own AI chatbot (France24, 9 April)
4. Meta Downplays AI Disinformation Threat in Big Election Year (Bloomberg, 9 April)

3.Russia & Ukraine

1. ‘They were told fairy tales’ Russia recruited these women prisoners to fight in Ukraine. Six months later, they’re still waiting to be deployed. (Meduza, 10 April)
2. Disinformation targets Ukraine community volunteer awards (AFP, 9 April)

Swedish TV @svtnyheter illustrates how a Russia-linked influence campaign – designed to stop the West's support to Ukraine is planted and laundered before it reaches us in the West.

Follow the path of lies – step by step👇https://t.co/f6C8cyEuNm

— Hybrid CoE (@HybridCoE) April 8, 2024