Disinfo Docket 29 April

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Highlights

1. Disinformation: sources, spread and impact (UK Parliament, 26 April)
2. India election: AI deepfakes of Bollywood stars backing political parties swirl as voters grapple with information overload (SCMP, 27 April)
3. Recent stabbings highlight danger of online misinformation (ASPI, 26 April)
4. We can’t blame Russia for American unrest anymore. It’s homegrown. (Washington Post, 28 April)
5. Digital disinformation threatens African elections, activists say (VoA, 28 April)

1. Academia & Research

Bellingcat (@bellingcat.com)

New: Bellingcat and @scrippsnews.bsky.social followed one IDF battalion’s movements across Gaza, geolocating their social posts to highlight IDF involvement in systematic destruction of Palestinian land and livelihoods: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/04/29/weve-become-addicted-to-explosions-the-idf-unit-responsible-for-demolishing-homes-across-gaza/?utm_source=bluesky

Bluesky Social

2. Platforms & Technology

1. Sharing our Response to Civil Society Groups on Election Integrity (SnapChat, April)
2. Expanding our Content Integrity tools to support global elections (Microsoft, 22 April)
3. BBC presenter’s likeness used in advert after firm tricked by AI-generated voice (Guardian, 28 April)

TikTok 

1. How TikTok’s Chinese owner tightened its grip on the app (Financial Times, April)

X (Twitter)

1. The demise of Twitter: how a ‘utopian vision’ for social media became a ‘toxic mess’ (Guardian, 27 April)
2. Profit of $4804: how Musk’s takeover crushed Twitter in Australia (Financial Review, 28 April)

3. Russia & Ukraine

1. Russia arrests more journalists in intensifying crackdown on dissent (Washington Post, 28 April)
2. Coca-Cola, L’Oréal, other big brands told by MEPs to stop ads fueling Russian disinformation in Balkans (Politico, 26 April)