DisinfoDocket 21 August

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Highlights

1. GAN-tastic catfishing: When social media accounts with artificially generated faces build entirely fictional lives on Twitter, they are sometimes widely accepted as real people (Conspirator Norteño, 20 August)
2. UNESCO builds capacity of Zimbabwean media in election reporting (UNESCO, 18 August)

Keeping voters informed about the candidates, policy proposals and how to cast their vote is crucial to prevent the spread of #disinformation. Here are some best practices to follow: https://t.co/cZjQcC3DMI #IJNeternal

— IJNet (@IJNet) August 21, 2023

1. Academia & Research

1. ‘I Had to Leave’: Misinformation Expert Joan Donovan Exits Harvard, Joins Boston University Faculty (Harvard Crimson, 18 August)

2. Platforms & Technology

1. What if You Knew What You Were Missing on Social Media? (NYT, 17 August)
2. As wildfires spread, Canadian leaders ask Meta to reverse its news ban (Washington Post, 18 August)
3. How is Meta’s news ban affecting communications amid Canada wildfires? (Guardian, 18 August)
4. Meta may launch a Threads web version early this week (The Verge, 21 August)

X (Twitter)

1. Elon Musk’s management is killing Science Twitter (PopSci, 17 August)
2. Elon Musk's X follower count bloated by millions of new, inactive accounts (Mashable, 18 August)
3. Twitter, now X, to remove blocking feature - Musk (BBC, 19 August)
4. X glitch wipes out most pictures and links tweeted before December 2014  (The Verge, 20 August)
5. X Users Now Have to Pay for TweetDeck (CNET, 17 August)

Searching for a TweetDeck alternative is a frustrating task (TechCrunch, 18 August)

3. Russia & Ukraine

1. Russia amplifies right-wing influence campaign to undermine support for Ukraine by exploiting Hawaii's tragedy (Weaponised Spaces, 18 August)
2. Russia recruited operatives online to target weapons crossing Poland (Washington Post, 18 August)