ASD contributes long and short form research products and analysis to inform and engage our audience on a range of issues related to malign foreign interference. In addition, we develop policy recommendations and strategies to close vulnerabilities and safeguard institutions from authoritarian threats.
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October 2024
Influence with Integrity: Protect Yourself and Your Audience During Election Season
Influencers and content creators play a critical role in today’s information environment as opinion makers and trusted voices. As a result, influencers and their online communities have become targets for malign actors seeking to undermine confidenc [...]
Democracy Divided: How Republicans and Democrats Talk About Threats to Democracy
In the polarized political landscape of the United States, few words carry as much weight or evoke as much passion as “democracy”. As the cornerstone of American political identity, democracy is both revered and contested by citizens across the ideo [...]
The Frontlines of Election Falsehoods: Election Administration Narratives in Battleground States
The decentralized nature of election administration in the United States means that every state—and even election jurisdiction—has its own rules for voting and ballot counting. In 2020, variances in election procedures were misconstrued, and in some [...]
Russian Meddling in Moldova: Extremely Brazen and Incredibly Alarming
Few national contexts offer a more disturbing picture of Russian malign foreign interference than Moldova’s. As the country readies for critical elections on October 20, it also faces a barrage of Russian hybrid attacks of remarkable scale and inten [...]
The Defining Challenge of the 2024 US Elections: Navigating the Information Space
The complexities of the information space are eroding trust in election processes. The information space, where Americans work, learn, engage, and entertain themselves online, is increasingly opaque and fragmented. The major social media platforms h [...]
Democracy in the Crosshairs: Five Key Trends Driving Foreign Interference in Democracies
Executive Summary Combating foreign interference in democracies, once a fringe policy issue on both sides of the Atlantic, has become one of the key policy and societal challenges of our time. It was not long ago when this set of issues would be b [...]
Manufacturing Controversy
The Ukrainian president’s visit to a Pennsylvania arms factory was partisan but not election interference. On September 27, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) unsealed an indictment against three Iranian intelligence agents accused of running a “hac [...]
September 2024
ASD Election Report: September 19, 2024
This is the first in a series of reports covering online conversations related to the security and administration of the 2024 US elections. These reports are meant to highlight key narrative trends in the election space, including but not limited to [...]
DOJ vs. Doppelganger: Four Takeaways from the US Government’s Action Against Russian Election Interference
On September 4, 2024, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) seized 32 website domains connected to Russia’s “Doppelganger” network and charged two Russian state media employees with funneling almost $10 million to a Tennessee-based online content creat [...]
Guarding Against Russian Information Laundering
In May 2024, ASD, along with our partners at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue and the University of Amsterdam, published a report documenting roughly 400 domains—ranging from mirror sites and content aggregators to faux local news outlets and si [...]
August 2024
For Your Eyes Only: Pro-Kremlin Visual Propaganda Appeals to Hearts and Minds in Italy
Italy has long been a prime target for Russian interference efforts. From cultivating malign financial ties and relationships with political elites to executing covert information operations, Russia has consistently sought to increase its influence [...]
July 2024
When Interference Turns Kinetic: Russia’s Dangerous Escalation in Europe
In recent months, taking advantage of pliable politicians and a vulnerable information space, Russia has escalated its hostile actions in Europe in both frequency and intensity. In fact, Russia’s destabilizing actions have become so brazen that simp [...]