Disinfo Docket 15 January

Hi! I'm Kate and welcome to DisinfoDocket. DisinfoDocket curates influence operations-related academic research, news, events and job opportunities.
Did you know that DisinfoDocket takes requests? If you have suggestions or relevant work that you'd like to see included, simply reply to this email and send us the details!
* Bicolās machines of deceit: Exploiting poverty, manufacturing truth
* Influencers Are Using the Los Angeles Fires to Hawk Wellness Products
* Justice Department and FBI Conduct International Operation to Delete Malware Used by China-Backed Hackers...
Highlights
- TikTok āon the clockā ā and the party might literally stop for student journalists (IJNet, 14 January)
- Trump would have been convicted if not elected, DoJ report says (BBC, 13 January)
- Misinformation thrives on outrage, study finds (PsyPost, 14 January)
- Iām a cybersecurity expert. Hereās why you should be worried about Meta stopping fact-checking (Tech Digest, 14 January)
- Newsom accuses Musk of encouraging looting in LA fires disinformation spat (The Guardian, 13 January)
- TikTokās algorithm appears to be boosting LA wildfire misinformation (Media Matters for America, 14 January)
Check out this upcoming @thecreativeschl @TorontoMet talk from @APavliuc @oiioxford doctoral researcher, āThe Fight Against Disinformation: How Communication Research Can Tackle Online Harmsā. Registration details below. https://t.co/SvTPJKv6PB
— Oxford Internet Institute (@oiioxford) January 14, 2025
1. Academia & Research
šØš§µNew report by RUSI Senior Associate Fellow Matthew Redhead, published by @SOCACE_Research, which explores the growing and increasingly complex threat to the West from hostile state actors, is out now!https://t.co/ifYS6SsWIQ
— RUSI (@RUSI_org) January 14, 2025
- Hierarchical graph-based integration network for propaganda detection in textual news articles on social media (Nature, 13 January)
2. Platforms & Technology
- Mark Zuckerberg and the Internet for Billionaires (Tech Policy Press, 14 January)
- EU reassesses tech probes into Apple, Google and Meta (FT, 14 January)
- China considers selling TikTok U.S. operations to Musk, Bloomberg reports (CNBC, 13 January)
- Zuckerberg says Meta will lay off more ālow-performersā (The Verge, 14 January)
- Elon Musk might be asked to save TikTok. Here's how much it could cost (Quartz, 14 January)
- What are the challenges facing the government's AI action plan? (BBC Verify, 13 January)
šØ [LEGAL ALERT] California released TWO legal advisories on AI, highlighting AI-related practices that may be UNLAWFUL under California law. [Bookmark & download below]. Examples of practices:
— Luiza Jarovsky (@LuizaJarovsky) January 14, 2025
1ļøā£ "Falsely advertise the accuracy, quality, or utility of AI systems. This includes:ā¦ pic.twitter.com/VYuu0s28Bp