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Shannon Bond Shannon Bond is a correspondent at NPR, covering how misleading narratives and false claims circulate online and offline, and their impact on society and democracy.
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Shannon Bond

Wednesday

A right-wing legal and political campaign has disrupted the work of government agencies meant to safeguard voting and subjected researchers studying online harms to harassment and death threats.

A right-wing legal and political campaign has disrupted the work of government agencies meant to safeguard voting and subjected researchers studying online harms to harassment and death threats. Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

Untangling Disinformation

What it means for the election that the government can talk to tech companies

The case is one element in a right-wing legal and political campaign that frames efforts to respond to false and misleading information as censorship.

What it means for the election that the government can talk to tech companies

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Friday

Alex Stamos, the former director of the Stanford Internet Observatory, during congressional testimony in 2014. The research team Stamos led came under fire from Republicans, who alleged that their research amounted to censorship.

Alex Stamos, the former director of the Stanford Internet Observatory, during congressional testimony in 2014. The research team Stamos led came under fire from Republicans, who alleged that their research amounted to censorship. Win McNamee/Getty Images hide caption

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Win McNamee/Getty Images

Untangling Disinformation

A major disinformation research team's future is uncertain after political attacks

The Stanford Internet Observatory studied how social media platforms are abused. Now, its top leaders are out and future funding is uncertain amid attacks on its work by conservatives.

Monday

Media

Right-wing media's dark days

A number of prominent right-wing media organizations have run into trouble recently, ranging from indictments, to bankruptcy, to fallout from defamation cases.

Right-wing media's dark days

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Friday

Republicans really want revenge; plus, can AI take a chill pill?

Artificial Intelligence and Trump on trial. David McNew/AFP; Curtis Means-Pool/Getty Images hide caption

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David McNew/AFP; Curtis Means-Pool/Getty Images

Analysis

It's Been a Minute

Republicans really want revenge; plus, can AI take a chill pill?

What is our justice system for? Many Republicans over the past week have suggested it's for revenge, calling for the prosecution of Democrats across the country following Trump's guilty verdict. Brittany looks at how the justice system can be politicized with NPR's national justice correspondent Carrie Johnson and national political correspondent Mara Liasson.

Republicans really want revenge; plus, can AI take a chill pill?

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Thursday

Russian navy recruits perform with the Russian flag in St. Petersburg, Russia, on June 4 during a ceremony marking the departure of recruits to join the army.

Russian navy recruits perform with the Russian flag in St. Petersburg, Russia, on June 4 during a ceremony marking the departure of recruits to join the army. In a year filled with elections around the world, Russia has stepped up its overt and covert propaganda efforts with a goal of weakening international support for Ukraine and undermining democratic institutions. Olga Maltseva/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Olga Maltseva/AFP via Getty Images

Untangling Disinformation

This is what Russian propaganda looks like in 2024

The hallmarks of Russian-back influence are consistent: trying to erode support for Ukraine, discrediting democratic institutions and seizing on existing political divides.

RUSSIAN ELECTION INTERFERENCE

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Friday

OpenAI, the company behind generative artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT, announced Thursday that it had taken down influence operations tied to Russia, China and Iran.

OpenAI, the company behind generative artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT, announced Thursday that it had taken down influence operations tied to Russia, China and Iran. Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

Untangling Disinformation

In a first, OpenAI removes influence operations tied to Russia, China and Israel

AI tools have helped the people behind influence operations produce more content, but OpenAI says the operations it disrupted didn't gain traction with real people or reach large audiences.

In a first, OpenAI removes influence operations tied to Russia, China and Israel

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Thursday

Voters filling out their ballots on Jan. 23, 2024 in Loudon, New Hampshire. A political consultant faces charges in New Hampshire and steep fines from the Federal Communications Commission for creating a robocall ahead of that state's presidential primary featuring a cloned version of President Joe Biden's voice, urging people not to vote in the primary.

Voters filling out their ballots on Jan. 23 in Loudon, N.H. A political consultant faces charges in New Hampshire and steep fines from the Federal Communications Commission for creating a robocall ahead of that state's presidential primary featuring a cloned version of President Biden's voice, urging people not to vote in the primary. Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images North America hide caption

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Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images North America

Untangling Disinformation

A political consultant faces charges and fines for Biden deepfake robocalls

The fines and charges come after New Hampshire voters got robocalls from an AI-generated version of President Biden's voice urging them not to vote in the upcoming presidential primary.

Wednesday

U.S. elections face more threats from foreign actors and artificial intelligence

Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines testifying before a Senate hearing earlier this month. During a May 15 hearing, she identified Russia as the greatest foreign threat to this year's U.S. elections. Win McNamee/Getty Images hide caption

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Win McNamee/Getty Images

Untangling Disinformation

U.S. elections face more threats from foreign actors and artificial intelligence

"Russia remains the most active foreign threat to our elections," said Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, noting that new AI technologies make influence operations easier to pull off.

Tuesday

The proliferation of AI-generated images "has made Facebook a very bizarre, very creepy place for me," said Casey Morris, an attorney in Northern Virginia.

The proliferation of AI-generated images "has made Facebook a very bizarre, very creepy place for me," said Casey Morris, an attorney in Northern Virginia. Facebook hide caption

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Facebook

Untangling Disinformation

AI-generated spam is starting to fill social media. Here's why

A Jesus made of vegetables, bizarre log cabins, products that don't exist. AI-generated images are creating new forms of clickbait and causing some users to doubt what's real.

AI-generated spam is starting to fill social media. Here's why

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Wednesday

Monday

What Makes TikTok A National Security Threat?

The TikTok logo is seen on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen which displays the TikTok home screen, Saturday, March 18, 2023. Michael Dwyer/AP hide caption

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Michael Dwyer/AP

The NPR Politics Podcast

What Makes TikTok A National Security Threat?

After a series of classified national security briefings, Congress passed a law that will ban TikTok if it is not sold by its Chinese parent company. It is not clear what specific risks they're reacting to, but experts point to a widespread, if ineffectual, state-backed disinformation effort and other data-privacy concerns.

What Makes TikTok A National Security Threat?

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Friday

China's influence operations against the U.S. are bigger than TikTok

A newly signed law requires that the Chinese-owned TikTok app be sold to satisfy national security concerns. Joe Raedle/Getty Images hide caption

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Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Untangling Disinformation

China's influence operations against the U.S. are bigger than TikTok

Intelligence officials and lawmakers describe the Chinese-owned social media app as a national security threat. But they haven't shared that evidence with the public.

China's influence operations against the U.S. are bigger than TikTok

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Wednesday

The Baltimore bridge collapse gave conspiracy theorists a chance to boost themselves

Residents look on after a cargo ship ran into and collapsed the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, 2024 in Baltimore. Conspiracy theorists online quickly spread narratives to millions online that the accident was part of a nefarious scheme. Rob Carr/Getty Images hide caption

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Rob Carr/Getty Images

Untangling Disinformation

The Baltimore bridge collapse gave conspiracy theorists a chance to boost themselves

One researcher says it has become "standard" for any unexpected event "to be run through a filter of conspiracy theories based on the personal brand of the person spreading the theory."

Tuesday

Cameo is being used for political propaganda — by tricking the stars involved

Lindsay Lohan and other celebrities were tricked into calling for the ouster of Moldova's president through videos requested on the Cameo app that were edited and posted on TikTok. TikTok/Screenshot by NPR hide caption

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TikTok/Screenshot by NPR

Untangling Disinformation

Cameo is being used for political propaganda — by tricking the stars involved

Lindsay Lohan and other celebrities were tricked into calling for the ouster of Moldova's president. It's the latest example of the Cameo app being used for an apparent political propaganda operation.

Cameo is being used for political propaganda — by tricking the stars involved

Listen · 2:21
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Friday

Untangling Disinformation

Tech giants pledge action against deceptive AI in elections

Fears over how AI could be used to mislead voters are escalating in a year that will see hundreds of millions of people around the world cast ballots. As a result, tech giants are pledging action.

Tech giants pledge action against deceptive AI in elections

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