Alliance for Securing Democracy

In Denouncing Regulation, Conservatives Put Freedom of Speech Online at Greater Risk Social-media platforms have long drawn American conservatives' ire for the former's content-moderation policies. During the first Trump and Biden administrations, much ado was made about the platforms...

American opponents of social-media regulation often criticize EU legislation as a form of censorship.

By contrast, the EU's model could provide those opponents with the mechanisms to hold platforms accountable, ASD's David Salvo & Bret Schafer write. ⤵️

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/in-denouncin...

Rising and Falling Tides: How Russia Has Benefited from Cuts to US Government-Funded Media in Moldova Moldovans return to the polls on Sunday to vote for their parliamentary representatives in an election whose outcome could determine whether the country continues its path towards EU membership or piv...

Before Moldova's 2024 elections, US-funded outlets provided an alternative to the Kremlin's media.

Less than a year later, those outlets are "slowly but steadily receding ... to the seeming benefit of Russian propagandists", ASD researchers find. ⤵️

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/rising-and-f...

In Denouncing Regulation, Conservatives Put Freedom of Speech Online at Greater Risk Social-media platforms have long drawn American conservatives' ire for the former's content-moderation policies. During the first Trump and Biden administrations, much ado was made about the platforms...

💬 American conservatives often reject social-media regulation on the grounds that it stifles speech.

Conversely, the lack of regulation places speech at greater risk by leaving it subject to political pressure, ASD's David Salvo & Bret Schafer write. ⤵️

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/in-denouncin...

Dismantling the Foreign Malign Influence Center Tulsi Gabbard is dismantling the last U.S. government organ dedicated to tracking State-sponsored efforts to interfere in U.S. institutions.

Last week, the Trump administration axed the last remaining federal organ that tracks & analyzes foreign interference in US elections & society.

But US adversaries "have no interest in slowing down" such operations, David Salvo warns @justsecurity.org. ⤵️

www.justsecurity.org/119653/wjh-d...

Cross-Border Communication: How Russian State Media Sends Mixed Signals on Trump’s Border Policies in English and Spanish Since his first day returning to office, US President Donald Trump has pushed forward on campaign promises to crack down on illegal immigration and secure the southern US border. Trump’s tough stance ...

🌎 RT & Sputnik's Spanish social media framed US border policies in the language of human rights more than 4 times as much as their English accounts.

Here's how Russia's messaging applies divergent narratives between languages @krysiasikora.bsky.social. ⤵️
securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/cross-border...

"I don't see much that's going to change the decision-making calculus in Moscow right now.

The whole economy is propped up to fight this war."

🎙️ Tune in to ASD's David Salvo & @ianmastersmedia.bsky.social's conversation about upcoming US-Russia negotiations on the war in Ukraine. ⤵️

Low Expectations For the Upcoming Putin/Trump Summit August 7, 2025 - David Salvo backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

We are joined by David Salvo to discuss the upcoming summit in the UAE between President Trump and President Putin in the hope we all share of ending Russia's war on Ukraine that many experts on Russia and Ukraine think is unlikely to happen. soundcloud.com/user-8304426...

Cross-Border Communication: How Russian State Media Sends Mixed Signals on Trump’s Border Policies in English and Spanish Since his first day returning to office, US President Donald Trump has pushed forward on campaign promises to crack down on illegal immigration and secure the southern US border. Trump’s tough stance ...

Russian state media's English- and Spanish-language accounts adopted contradictory positions about US immigration policy.

@krysiasikora.bsky.social explains how this reflects a strategy to exacerbate friction between the US & Latin America. ⤵️

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/cross-border...

Cross-Border Communication: How Russian State Media Sends Mixed Signals on Trump’s Border Policies in English and Spanish Since his first day returning to office, US President Donald Trump has pushed forward on campaign promises to crack down on illegal immigration and secure the southern US border. Trump’s tough stance ...

🆕 In English, Russian state media aligned with the Trump administration on US border policy.

🌎 But in Spanish, they sought to fuel discontent with US policies and exacerbate divides with Latin American audiences.

More below @krysiasikora.bsky.social. ⤵️
securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/cross-border...

Cross-Border Communication: How Russian State Media Sends Mixed Signals on Trump’s Border Policies in English and Spanish Since his first day returning to office, US President Donald Trump has pushed forward on campaign promises to crack down on illegal immigration and secure the southern US border. Trump’s tough stance ...

Russian state media’s English and Spanish-language accounts adopted contradictory positions on Trump’s immigration and border policies to exacerbate friction between the United States and Latin America.

See my findings from my new @securedemocracy.bsky.social @gmfus.bsky.social analysis below ⤵️

Who’s Reusing Russian State Media’s Images? Introduction  Threat actors increasingly operate across national boundaries, but information-operation detection rarely extends beyond single-language analysis, leaving blind spots in multilingual and...

Russia's influence campaigns don't only rely on words.

📷 Images cross borders quickly and shape narratives that cannot be captured in single-language text alone, @benzoni.bsky.social shows. ⤵️

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/whos-reusing...

Countering FIMI Also Requires Addressing Corruption The EU has, in recent years, made great strides to combat foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI), but these efforts have too often neglected the acronym’s second “I”. This is regrett...

The past few years' corruption scandals reveal how susceptible EU institutions remain to foreign influence.

The EU's proposed Anti-Corruption Directive presents a path forward, if it stays on the bloc's agenda, ASD experts assess. 👇

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/countering-f...

Venezuela Through the Sino-Russian Media Playbook Russia and China’s information operations in Venezuela have been extensively discussed and documented. Their media strategy has involved forming partnerships with ideologically aligned national and re...

Venezuela's state-run TeleSUR network functions as a conduit for Russian, Chinese, and other authoritarian regimes' content in Latin America.

@marcossjb.bsky.social analyzes TeleSUR's role in "a sophisticated web of international information warfare." ⤵️

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/venezuela-th...

The State(s) of Foreign Information Operations: A State-by-State Look at Foreign Information Manipulation in the United States Introduction It is easy to dismiss foreign information operations as playing out at the national level, designed to influence federal policymakers and Beltway insiders. But these threats transcend t...

"It is easy to dismiss foreign information operations" as a national issue in the US.

But they are increasingly designed to "exploit trust in local sources and impact state and local communities",
@krysiasikora.bsky.social and Bret Schafer write. ⤵️
securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/the-states-o...

Foreign adversaries sow division in local communities, including North Carolina, report says For years, foreign adversaries have worked to spread misinformation. The German Marshall Fund found that Russia, China and others are becoming more effective at it, targeting state and local governmen...

🎙️ Foreign information campaigns have "seized on" an already complicated US information ecosystem.

ASD experts told WFAE 90.7's Charlotte Talks about how Russia, China, and others increasingly target the state level to exacerbate local divides. ⤵️

www.wfae.org/show/charlot...

New Proxy, Same as the Old Proxy: Key Sites of Russia’s Covert Influence in Poland Poland was one of the first countries to take steps to curb Russian propaganda in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Days after the invasion, Poland’s broadcasting regulator banned f...

A mix of translated state media, social-media content, and local proxies is how the Kremlin keeps a presence in Poland's information space despite formal restrictions.

@benzoni.bsky.social @krysiasikora.bsky.social & @doroshishka.bsky.social analyze. ⬇️
securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/new-proxy-sa...

Washington Silences Its Own Voice

The shuttering of Voice of America and other networks has created "greater opportunity for US adversaries to shape public perceptions worldwide" with their state-media outlets,
@nanagongadze.bsky.social & Bret Schafer write @gmfus.bsky.social. ⤵️
www.gmfus.org/news/washing...

Catch Me If EU Can: How RT and Sputnik Evade EU Content Bans That Russian state media outlets have developed varied ways to circumvent EU sanctions to continue reaching audiences in Europe is well documented. The methods often include the use of mirror sites, o...

An airtight EU ban on RT and Sputnik is likely impossible due to their efforts to circumvent enforcement through alternative links, podcasts, and more.

Regardless, remaining vigilant about those efforts remains key,
@doroshishka.bsky.social argues. ⬇️

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/catch-me-if-...

Caught in the Spider’s Web: Military Bloggers Revealed Gaps in Russia’s Military and Information Defense Ukraine’s operation, “Spider’s Web”, took the Kremlin by surprise and sent shockwaves from targeted military airfields to destinations far away from the frontline. Even though the final number of dest...

Russian military bloggers' response to Ukrainian attacks on bridges & strategic bombers "reveal several important trends in Russia's information space."

@doroshishka.bsky.social analyzes their reactions here. ⤵️

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/caught-in-th...

YouTube video by Los Angeles World Affairs Council Modern Information Warfare: Strategies Used by Foreign Adversaries to Shape U.S. Discourse

💬 Democracies should pay more attention to digital literacy.

"Understanding how information systems work" helps defend against foreign actors who exploit algorithms or vulnerabilities to change public discourse, ASD's Bret Schafer told Los Angeles World Affairs Council. ⤵️

youtu.be/H-e-gRkb8nM?...

Taming the Rising Lion: Alignment of Iranian, Russian, and Chinese Narratives on the Israel-Iran Conflict Dubbing it “Operation Rising Lion”, I

In response to Iran-Israel hostilities, Russian officials and state media exploited the crisis to warn of "nuclear disaster" and "World War III."

Read more from @doroshishka.bsky.social @krysiasikora.bsky.social & @etiennesoula.bsky.social. ⬇️

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/taming-the-r...

Catch Me If EU Can: How RT and Sputnik Evade EU Content Bans That Russian state media outlets have developed varied ways to circumvent EU sanctions to continue reaching audiences in Europe is well documented. The methods often include the use of mirror sites, o...

Across RT and Sputnik's 2024 posts in 7 languages, ASD found 308 links directing to mirror websites, duplicate social-media accounts, or podcasts.

These underscore Russia's efforts to escape formal 🇪🇺 restrictions, @doroshishka.bsky.social writes. 👇

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/catch-me-if-...

YouTube video by Los Angeles World Affairs Council Modern Information Warfare: Strategies Used by Foreign Adversaries to Shape U.S. Discourse

Russia, China, Iran, and other countries conduct information operations "not to change 250 million minds."

Rather, they try "to get that 1 or 2% that can create whatever outcome they're after."

📺 Bret Schafer discusses more with Los Angeles World Affairs Council. ⤵️
youtu.be/H-e-gRkb8nM?...

Caught in the Spider’s Web: Military Bloggers Revealed Gaps in Russia’s Military and Information Defense Ukraine’s operation, “Spider’s Web”, took the Kremlin by surprise and sent shockwaves from targeted military airfields to destinations far away from the frontline. Even though the final number of dest...

Russian military bloggers, in response to Ukraine's large-scale drone attack, showed "shifting sentiments toward Russia's adversaries."

Though still wary of the US, they cast the EU/UK as Russia's principal antagonists, @doroshishka.bsky.social writes. 👇

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/caught-in-th...

YouTube video by Los Angeles World Affairs Council Modern Information Warfare: Strategies Used by Foreign Adversaries to Shape U.S. Discourse

"By flooding the information space with their version of events", Russia, China, & others seek to "change people's perceptions on world events and historical narratives", ASD's Bret Schafer warns.

📺 Watch the full discussion. ⤵️
youtu.be/H-e-gRkb8nM?...

Catch Me If EU Can: How RT and Sputnik Evade EU Content Bans It has been well documented that Russian state media outlets have developed various ways to circumvent EU sanctions to continue reaching audiences in Europe. This often includes the use of mirror site...

Russian state media efforts to circumvent detection underscore difficulty in enforcing "the 🇪🇺 ban on RT and Sputnik."

But "admitting that a complete ban is impossible" while remaining vigilant is the best approach, @doroshishka.bsky.social writes.

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/catch-me-if-...

Caught in the Spider’s Web: Military Bloggers Revealed Gaps in Russia’s Military and Information Defense Ukraine’s operation, “Spider’s Web”, took the Kremlin by surprise and sent shockwaves from targeted military airfields to destinations far away from the frontline. Even though the final number of dest...

Russian military bloggers' reactions toward Ukraine's large-scale drone attack encouraged Moscow to retaliate strongly.

But the Kremlin's "relatively muted" response raises questions about its belligerent rhetoric, @doroshishka.bsky.social analyzes. 👇

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/caught-in-th...

Thinning the ICE: Russian and Chinese Messaging on the Los Angeles Protests Since the protests over immigration raids in Los Angeles began last weekend, false and misleading information about the ongoing demonstrations and the Trump administration’s crackdown have proliferate...

Russia seized on protests in Los Angeles to sow division in the 🇺🇸 and amplify partisan attacks.

Meanwhile, China used the protests to undermine 🇺🇸 credibility abroad.

Read more on how US foreign adversaries leveraged these events here. ⬇️

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/thinning-the...

Taming the Rising Lion: Alignment of Iranian, Russian, and Chinese Narratives on the Israel-Iran Conflict Dubbing it “Operation Rising Lion”, I

Russia & China seized on events in Iran to emphasize a diplomatic solution, "likely indicating their desire to abstain from supporting Iran on the battlefield", @doroshishka.bsky.social @etiennesoula.bsky.social & @krysiasikora.bsky.social assessed. ⤵️

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/taming-the-r...

Catch Me If EU Can: How RT and Sputnik Evade EU Content Bans It has been well documented that Russian state media outlets have developed various ways to circumvent EU sanctions to continue reaching audiences in Europe. This often includes the use of mirror site...

RT and Sputnik, though restricted in the EU, continue to circumvent enforcement via alternative links or channels, podcasts, and other methods.

@doroshishka.bsky.social explores why "a complete ban is impossible", but vigilance is key. ⤵️

securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/catch-me-if-...