DFRLab

26/11/2025

In Toronto 🇨🇦, the DFRLab joined Global Affairs Canada’s Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM Canada) and University of Toronto's Schwartz Reisman Institute to launch the G7 Rapid Response Mechanism Digital Transnational Repression Detection Academy: a new initiative to strengthen how democracies detect and counter transnational repression online.

The symposium brought together experts from government, academia, and civil society to explore how AI and emerging technologies are reshaping power, surveillance, and democracy…and how we can respond.

As the lead implementer for developing and delivering the Academy’s curriculum, the DFRLab shared lessons from our open-source investigations into digital manipulation and authoritarian influence worldwide.

The discussion also featured Marcus Kolga, co-author of the DFRLab report Authoritarian Reach and Democratic Response, which offers a tactical framework to counter and prevent transnational repression.

Learn more about the G7 RRM DNTR Academy: bit.ly/48kgBqy
Explore the report now: https://bit.ly/4hxBiU9

TORONTO — November 25, 2025  — The Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab), a global leader in open-source research and digital capacity building, in partnership with Global Affairs Canada’s Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM Canada), officially launched the 2025 G7 Rapid Respo...

17/11/2025

📅 Nov 19 @ 9AM ET | Digital identity systems are rapidly becoming foundational to how African governments deliver public services, run elections, and engage citizens. But with rapid adoption come big questions about privacy, inclusion, and accountability.

On Nov 19 @ 9AM ET, the DFRLab’s Democracy + Tech Initiative will bring together experts Sani Suleiman Sani, Grace Mutung'u, Thobekile Matimbe and Juliet N. Nanfuka to explore practical approaches for developing digital systems that can enhance democratic governance and protect citizens’ rights.

This event will also launch a fundamental report on how these technologies are transforming governance, elections, and public service delivery across the continent.

Register now: https://bit.ly/3K8IolA

17/10/2025

⏳ Loading…

The DFRLab’s Digital Sherlocks program is preparing for its next chapter🔎After a pause, we are excited to share that the program will return in 2026.

Since 2019, Digital Sherlocks has formed a global community of open-source investigators, advancing information integrity and strengthening democratic resilience. We are committed to continuing that mission in this challenging time for our community. Will you be part of our next cohort?

For future announcements and updates, subscribe to the DFRLab’s with the link in bio 🗞️

28/09/2025

💭 🇲🇩 5 DFRLab investigations you should read ahead of Moldova’s 2025 parliamentary elections

On September 28, Moldovans head to the polls in a pivotal vote. The ballots haven’t been cast, but the fight for Moldova’s elections has already started online. At the DFRLab, we’ve tracked how disinformation, covert media, and influence operations are threatening Moldovan democratic institutions:

1. The risks ahead: Coordinated through FIMI-ISAC's FDEI project, the DFRLab, Debunk.org, Alliance4Europe, and EU DisinfoLab evaluate threats to Moldova’s 2025 electoral environment in our Country Election Risk Assessment (CERA) reporthttps://fimi-isac.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Country-Report-Moldova-Risk-Assessment.pdf

2. Covert media: REST, a newly launched online outlet targeting Moldovan audiences ahead of the country’s parliamentary elections is linked to Rybar, a pro-Russian “military blogger” and propaganda operation https://dfrlab.org/2025/09/23/sanctioned-russian-actor-linked-to-new-media-outlet-targeting-moldova/

3. Paid to post: Inside the “digital army” of influencers flooding Moldova’s feeds with Russian propaganda https://dfrlab.org/2025/09/24/paid-to-post-russia-linked-digital-army-seeks-to-undermine-moldovan-election/

4. Accusations of Sandu of meddling abroad: A cross-platform campaign tried to discredit Moldova’s president by dragging Romania into the mix. https://dfrlab.org/2025/08/26/cross-platform-campaign-accuses-moldovas-sandu-of-meddling-in-romanian-elections/

5. When foreign aid becomes a weapon: Pro-Kremlin actors exploit USAID scrutiny to destabilize Moldova’s pre-election landscape https://dfrlab.org/2025/05/15/pro-kremlin-actors-exploit-usaid-scrutiny-to-destabilize-moldovas-pre-election-landscape/

Discover more of our election coverage: https://dfrlab.org/elections-coverage/

Explore DFRLab's research on foreign interference efforts on elections around the world, uncovering tactics aimed at influencing public opinion and safeguarding democracy.

01/08/2025

Twenty years ago, captured lightning in a bottle.

Now, with the WSIS+20 review on the horizon, the stakes for global digital governance are higher than ever.

DTI’s Konstantinos Komaitis calls this a pivotal moment for the internet’s future. Read his statement:

A statement from Konstantinos Komaitis on the WSIS+20 process and the future of digital governance.

25/07/2025

First Telegram bots. Now TikTok.

DFRLab exposes how Kremlin-aligned influencers are using ’s audiovisual power to sell a “revived” Mariupol, portraying Russian rule as peaceful, and discrediting Ukraine 📱

New from Iryna Adam:

On TikTok, pro-Russian accounts are attempting to craft an image of a thriving Mariupol, despite concerns from citizens on the ground.

21/07/2025

Colombia’s oldest guerrilla group, the ELN, has quietly built a sprawling digital empire over the last decade 💻

Despite its designation as a terrorist organization, the ELN maintains a vast presence on social networks like X and Facebook, successfully evading platform prohibitions against terrorist and criminal organizations. Until May 2025, dozens of ELN affiliated accounts remained active.

The organization leverages social media accounts and websites to recruit minors, announce attacks on civilians, and amplify Russian, Iranian and Venezuelan regimes narratives.

🔎 Check out the full investigation from the DFRLab: https://bit.ly/46h0PNK

US-designated terrorist organization ELN oversees a vast digital operation that promotes pro-Kremlin and anti-US content.

16/07/2025

🗓️ TODAY @ 10:00AM ET

Join the DFRLab, OpenMinds and Eurasia Center as we launch a new report on how 3,600+ fake Telegram accounts quietly shaped narratives in Ukraine’s occupied territories.

Watch live:

A new report—launched in partnership with the Digital Forensic Research Lab, Eurasia Center, and OpenMinds—uncovers how thousands of fake Telegram accounts were used in a covert Russian influence campaign targeting Ukrainians in occupied territories.

14/07/2025

What does digital occupation look like?

The DFRLab and OpenMinds tracked 3,600+ bot accounts that posted hundreds of thousands of pro-Kremlin comments designed to make the occupation feel normal. Tailored & timed, the bot accounts cultivated a narrative that influenced public perception in regions where Ukrainian media is largely cut off.

Join us next Wednesday 16th July at 10:00a.m. for exclusive insights from the researchers who uncovered the network.

Register now:

A new report—launched in partnership with the Digital Forensic Research Lab, Eurasia Center, and OpenMinds—uncovers how thousands of fake Telegram accounts were used in a covert Russian influence campaign targeting Ukrainians in occupied territories.

10/07/2025

What does it mean to occupy not just land—but minds? 🤖 🧠

Join us for the launch of a groundbreaking report on July 16 with OpenMinds & Atlantic Council Eurasia Center, uncovering how more than 3,600 bot accounts posted hundreds of thousands of pro-Russian comments across Telegram channels in occupied Ukraine.

These bots didn’t just parrot state propaganda—they shaped local narratives, praised Russian authorities, and discredited Ukrainian leadership.

Ambassador John E. Herbst, Sviatoslav Hnizdovskyi, Elina Beketova, Yuliia Dukach, Iryna Adam, and Meredith Furbish will offer insight on how Russia’s information strategy complements its territorial ambitions.

🔗 Event details & livestream:

A new report—launched in partnership with the Digital Forensic Research Lab, Eurasia Center, and OpenMinds—uncovers how thousands of fake Telegram accounts were used in a covert Russian influence campaign targeting Ukrainians in occupied territories.