DisinfoDocket 19 December

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*It's been a busy weekend at Twitter, catch up on all the developments
* Moldova suspends 6 channels accused of Russian disinformation
* Using games to confront extremism and hate
* And much more!
Highlights:
At the outset of the Russo-Ukrainian war, IST and VAST-OSINT Technologies tracked Russian #disinformation in the Ukrainian info environment with support from @USEmbassyKyiv.
— Institute for Security and Technology (@IST_org) December 14, 2022
In our latest report, we identify 6 key narratives and trace their evolution.https://t.co/TytdNTpiIP pic.twitter.com/5jzXC4mtoo
- Twitter bans users from telling people to follow them on rival platforms as Elon Musk struggles to stop exodus (iNews, 18 December)
LISTEN: Conspiracy theory already built around Queensland attack (ABC, 14 December)
LISTEN: The Musk Bubble in Tech Is Going to Pop (w/Alex Stamos) (Newcomer, 14 December)
🧵Targeting citizens’ beliefs in future, undermining trust within & between groups, discrediting international cooperation – these are the main aims of 🇷🇺 disinfo in the Lublin Triangle (🇱🇹🇵🇱🇺🇦), as per @CivicResilience, @DetectorMedia & @IKosciuszki:https://t.co/5e0zyiBSGT 1/4
— EUvsDisinfo (@EUvsDisinfo) December 18, 2022
1. Platforms & Technology
- A guide to getting started with Twitter alternative Mastodon (Washington Post, 17 December)
- YouTube is pushing educational kids videos. Can parents trust them? (Washington Post, 16 December)
- In the U.S., His Site Has Been Linked to Massacres. In Japan, He’s a Star. (NYT, 18 December)
- End of an era? Chinese official who blazed a trail on social media under investigation (South China Morning Post, 18 December)
- How Facebook Whistleblower Frances Haugen Is Empowering the Next Generation of Tech Leaders (Time, 18 December)
- Nieman Lab predictions for journalism 2023: Platforms are over (NiemanLab, December)
Should we have a policy preventing the creation of or use of existing accounts for the main purpose of advertising other social media platforms?
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) December 19, 2022
Should I step down as head of Twitter? I will abide by the results of this poll.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 18, 2022
Content Moderation
- Musk unsuspends some reporters on Twitter. But their companies never left. (Washington Post, 17 December)
- Musk’s suspension of journalists on Twitter spurs U.S., international condemnation (Washington Post, 16 December)
- The debate over speech on Twitter is as uncomplicated as it is unhinged (Washington Post, 16 December)
- Is plane tracking doxing? How public data enraged Elon Musk. (Washington Post, 17 December)
- In Suspending Journalists on Twitter, Musk Flexes His Media Muscle (NYT, 16 December)
- Musk Restores Some Journalist Twitter Accounts After Backlash (Forbes, 17 December)
- Twitter faces renewed scrutiny over disinformation in Europe (Politico, 16 December)