DisinfoDocket 9 November

DisinfoDocket curates influence operations-related academic research, news, events and job opportunities.

Highlights:

1. How to switch to Mastodon from Twitter (Mashable, 5 November)
2. Musk discusses putting all of Twitter behind a paywall (Platformer, 8 November)
3. US Midterm Elections 2022: Cross platform analysis of information about US 2022 midterm elections (OSoME)
4. Listen: Are Social Media Algorithms a Form of Speech? (CATO, 3 November)
5. 3 key takeaways on election integrity from ex-Twitter, Facebook employees (Fast Company, 7 November)
6. The Toxic Tales of the 2022 Midterms: Unraveling the Lies, Hate, and Extremism Polluting the Public Square (Tufts University)

Resistance to misinformation is weakening on Twitter, a report found. (NYT, 7 November)

1. US Midterms

Conspiracy Theories & Disinformation

1. Despite torrent of misinformation, voting unfolds relatively smoothly (Washington Post, 8 November)
2. Disinformation is a midterm elections threat that could keep millions of voters at home, analysts say (USA Today, 4 November)
3. Midterm elections present a big test for newsrooms in the era of election lies and misinformation (CNN, 7 November)
4. A meme about blue pens shows 2020 false claims still warp voting in 2022 (Washington Post, 7 November)
5. In speeches, Trump uses dozens of lies, exaggerations to draw contrast with Biden (Washington Post, 7 November)
6. Voting machine problems in Arizona fuel right-wing fraud claims (NYT, 8 November)
7. Latinos who use Spanish-language social media get more misinformation (Washington Post, 8 November)
8. Iranian ‘hacking’ video fabricated to push election disinfo (AP, 7 November)

Threat of Violence

1. Arizona election workers face wave of threats before midterms: ‘You will all be executed’ (Independent, 7 November)
2. Misinformation floods the midterms, at times urging violence (Washington Post, 8 November)
3. Trump Casts a Vote for Further Political Violence, Calling Nancy Pelosi “an Animal” (Mother Jones, 9 November)
4. Election workers brace for a torrent of threats: ‘I know where you sleep’ (Washington Post, 8 November)
5. Misinformation floods the midterms, at times urging violence (Washington Post, 8 November)

Security & Countermeasures

1. How social media platforms plan to fight Election Day misinformation (CNBC, 7 November)
2. How Community Engagement Can Prevent Us From Being Misled During Election Season (Forbes, 7 November)
3. CISA is taking a hands-off approach to election lies on Twitter (Washington Post, 7 November)
4. Immigrant groups face ‘impossible’ job of fighting election lies on apps (Washington Post, 7 November)
5. Misinformation experts have been prepping for this day. (NYT, 8 November)
6. How you can avoid disinformation about election vote counting and the results (NPR, 8 November)

Social Media & Technology

1. Democracy Gone Digital: The Election Season Online (Tech Policy Press, 7 November)
2. As the midterms approach, Google ads mislead voters (Tech Transparency Project, 7 November)
3. U.S. cyber agency says no credible threat to midterm vote despite websites going down (Reuters, 9 November)

Post-Election Day

1. The disinformation threat facing US midterms extends beyond Election Day (Cyber Scoop, 7 November)
2. Cybersecurity officials prepare for post-Election Day disinformation (AXIOS, 8 November)
3. Biggest Surge of Misinformation May Arrive After Election Day, Researchers Say (NYT, 7 November)
4. Trump spooks GOP with abandoned talk of presidential launch on eve of vote (Washington Post, 7 November)