Hacker News with Generative AI: Disinformation

Americans Believe Russian Disinformation 'To Alarming Degree' (forbes.com)
A third of Americans have fallen for Russian disinformation — and for other false online claims.
Disinformation, Russia, United States, Social Media, Politics
13 points by doener 2 days ago | 3 comments
Russian Propaganda Has Now Infected Western AI Chatbots – New Study (forbes.com)
A troubling trend in which most western AI chatbots are unknowingly spreading Russian propaganda has been uncovered by a NewsGuard audit published last week.
AI, Propaganda, Russia, News, Disinformation
48 points by nabla9 7 days ago | 55 comments
Firehose of Falsehood (wikipedia.org)
The firehose of falsehood, also known as firehosing, is a propaganda technique in which a large number of messages are broadcast rapidly, repetitively, and continuously over multiple channels (like news and social media) without regard for truth or consistency.
Propaganda, Disinformation, Social Media, Communication, Information Warfare
11 points by titaphraz 8 days ago | 0 comments
US office that counters foreign disinformation is being eliminated (technologyreview.com)
The only office within the US State Department that monitors foreign disinformation is to be eliminated, according to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, confirming reporting by MIT Technology Review.
Politics, Disinformation, Technology, United States, Foreign Policy
12 points by af78 10 days ago | 0 comments
E.U. Prepares Major Penalties Against X (nytimes.com)
European Union regulators are preparing major penalties against Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, for breaking a landmark law to combat illicit content and disinformation, said four people with knowledge of the plans, a move that is likely to ratchet up tensions with the United States by targeting one of President Trump’s closest advisers.
European Union, Social Media, Regulation, Censorship, Disinformation
139 points by dotcoma 20 days ago | 242 comments
Hacking Democracy: Russia's Digital War on German and European Elections (vsquare.org)
Russia’s disinformation machine didn’t just meddle in Germany’s 2025 elections — it built an entire fake media ecosystem to do it.
Politics, Elections, Cybersecurity, Disinformation, Russia
12 points by josefslerka 22 days ago | 0 comments
In a first, OpenAI removes influence operations tied to Russia, China and Israel (npr.org)
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.
Generative AI, OpenAI, Geopolitics, Social Media, Disinformation
7 points by Teever 29 days ago | 0 comments
Can people be persuaded not to believe disinformation? (economist.com)
Anyone following American politics in recent months will have been treated to their fair share of bogus claims: USAID, the country’s main development agency, sent $50m worth of condoms to the Gaza Strip; tens of millions of deceased centenarians are continuing to receive social-security payments; disaster-relief funding was spent on housing migrants in luxury hotels in New York City.
Disinformation, Politics, Social Media, Psychology, Media
30 points by helsinkiandrew 34 days ago | 19 comments
Hackers played AI-generated video of Trump kissing Musk's feet on Gov TVs (snopes.com)
On Feb. 24, 2025, an unauthorized video appeared on TV monitors in the Washington headquarters of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development featuring the caption “LONG LIVE THE REAL KING” superimposed over fake, AI-generated footage of President Donald Trump kissing the feet and toes of tech billionaire and government efficiency adviser Elon Musk.
Artificial Intelligence, Politics, Social Media, Disinformation
18 points by freeqaz 61 days ago | 3 comments
OpSec: Trump Dismantles Government Fight Against Foreign Influence Operations (nytimes.com)
The Trump administration is targeting government officials who had been flagging foreign interference in U.S. elections, despite continuing concerns that adversaries are stoking political and social divisions by spreading propaganda and disinformation online, current and former government officials said.
Politics, Government, Foreign Interference, Disinformation, Elections
19 points by DrNosferatu 65 days ago | 4 comments
AI Distortion is new threat to trusted information (bbc.co.uk)
Disinformation. By now we are all aware of its polarising effects and real world consequences.
Artificial Intelligence, Disinformation, Information Integrity
13 points by ChrisArchitect 74 days ago | 1 comments
Russian disinformation campaigns discover Bluesky (heise.de)
With the growing popularity of the Twitter alternative Bluesky, this network is also becoming increasingly interesting for disinformation campaigns. Currently, the pro-Russian influence operations "Doppelganger" and "Matryoshka" are apparently expanding their activities to Bluesky.
Disinformation, Social Media, Russia, Twitter Alternatives, Bluesky
7 points by doener 97 days ago | 0 comments
LA wildfires disinformation reveals limits of fact-checking (weaponizedspaces.substack.com)
Meta, formerly known as Facebook, announced last week that it is ending its fact-checking initiative and following in the footsteps of X (formerly Twitter) in implementing a community notes feature in place of professional fact-checkers.
Disinformation, Social Media, Fact-Checking, News
27 points by rbanffy 102 days ago | 35 comments
Substack Is at It Again (kottke.org)
Marisa Kabas correctly asserts that Substack’s latest announcement reaffirms their status as a publication (and not a platform) and as a place that will publish disinformation and hate under the guise of “free speech”.
Substack, Free Speech, Journalism, Disinformation
5 points by Tomte 129 days ago | 2 comments
Spain introduces bill to combat online fake news (theguardian.com)
Spain’s leftwing government has announced a bill extending a requirement to publish corrections to posts by digital platforms and social media influencers in an attempt to fight disinformation.
Spain, Legislation, Fake News, Social Media, Disinformation
5 points by isaacfrond 129 days ago | 4 comments
Russian Hackers Leverage ElevenLabs for Multilingual AI Disinformation Campaigns (winbuzzer.com)
Investigators have uncovered how ElevenLabs’ AI voice technology has been utilized in Operation Undercut, a Russian campaign aimed at destabilizing Western alliances.
AI, Disinformation, Cybersecurity, Russia, International Relations
6 points by Jasondells 136 days ago | 0 comments
Mind Bomb – How Russia wages an international war on truth (youtube.com)
Russia, Propaganda, International Relations, Information Warfare, Disinformation
5 points by jalict 141 days ago | 1 comments
MPs to summon Elon Musk to testify about X's role in UK summer riots (theguardian.com)
MPs are to summon Elon Musk to testify about X’s role in spreading disinformation, in a parliamentary inquiry into the UK riots and the rise of false and harmful AI content, the Guardian has learned.
Elon Musk, Disinformation, UK Riots, AI
5 points by 2OEH8eoCRo0 155 days ago | 0 comments
MPs to summon Elon Musk to testify about X's role in UK summer riots (theguardian.com)
MPs are to summon Elon Musk to testify about X’s role in spreading disinformation, in a parliamentary inquiry into the UK riots and the rise of false and harmful AI content, the Guardian has learned.
Social Media, Disinformation, UK Politics, Artificial Intelligence
7 points by peutetre 157 days ago | 0 comments
Brazil leads new international effort against climate lies at the G20 summit (theverge.com)
Brazil and the United Nations launched a new international effort to combat disinformation on climate change.
Climate Change, Disinformation, International Relations, Brazil
27 points by rntn 158 days ago | 22 comments
You're being targeted by disinformation networks (reddit.com)
You know that Russia and other governments try to manipulate people online.  But you almost certainly don't how just how effectively orchestrated influence networks are using social media platforms to make you -- individually-- angry, depressed, and hateful toward each other.
Disinformation, Social Media, Russia, Political Manipulation, Online Influence
10 points by Raed667 163 days ago | 2 comments
Images of Spain's floods weren't made by AI. Trouble is, people think they were (theguardian.com)
My eye was caught by a striking photograph in the most recent edition of Charles Arthur’s Substack newsletter Social Warming. It shows a narrow street in the aftermath of the “rain bomb” that devastated the region of Valencia in Spain.
Disinformation, Spain, Floods, AI, Media
11 points by edward 166 days ago | 6 comments
Russian disinformation network is taking aim at US presidential election (cnn.com)
Disinformation, Politics, US Elections, Russia
8 points by rbanffy 172 days ago | 0 comments
Voting machine companies are fighting the next disinformation war (theverge.com)
Smartmatic and Dominion are trying to debunk false stories and rebuild trust — but that’s a tall order in 2024.
Election Integrity, Disinformation, Technology, Politics, Trust
14 points by rntn 175 days ago | 2 comments
Musk and Friends Are Smothering the Internet's Truth Seekers (bloomberg.com)
Not long after Hurricane Helene wrought destruction across the southern US, a more bewildering storm blew through: Officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) bumped up against angry residents and armed militia in Tennessee and North Carolina, people who’d been riled up by rumors that the officials were there to take their homes.
Social Media, Conspiracy Theories, Disinformation
22 points by srameshc 179 days ago | 1 comments
The Army of Election Officials Ready to Reject the Vote (nytimes.com)
A movement driven by disinformation about Trump’s 2020 defeat has taken over many of the boards that certify elections. It could cause chaos in the weeks ahead.
Elections, Politics, Misinformation, Disinformation, Democracy
18 points by ChrisArchitect 182 days ago | 3 comments
Russia amplified hurricane disinformation to drive Americans apart (abc7chicago.com)
Russia has helped amplify and spread false and misleading internet claims about recent hurricanes in the United States and the federal government's response, part of a wider effort by the Kremlin to manipulate America's political discourse before the presidential election, new research shows.
Disinformation, Russia, Politics, United States, Natural Disasters
105 points by wumeow 182 days ago | 64 comments
Putin's pro-Trump trolls accuse Harris of poaching rhinos (theregister.com)
Russian, Iranian, and Chinese trolls are all ramping up their US election disinformation efforts ahead of November 5, but – aside from undermining faith in the democratic process and confidence in the election result – with very different objectives, according to Microsoft.
Politics, Disinformation, Social Media, Russia, Elections
7 points by beardyw 183 days ago | 0 comments
Everything Is a Conspiracy Theory When You Don't Bother to Educate Yourself (techdirt.com)
I talk a lot about confirmation bias here because it’s at the heart of many of the debates and discussions regarding disinformation. It’s something we can all fall prey to, at times. But lately, I’ve been thinking a lot more about what makes one more susceptible to confirmation bias, and I’m increasingly coming around to the idea that it has to do with a combination of intellectual curiosity and trust.
Confirmation Bias, Disinformation, Education, Trust, Intellectual Curiosity
14 points by hn_acker 184 days ago | 3 comments
Leaked internal documents from a Kremlin-controlled propaganda center (vsquare.org)
Leaked internal documents from a Kremlin-controlled propaganda center reveal how a well-coordinated Russian campaign supported far-right parties in the European Parliament elections — and planted disinformation across social media platforms to undermine Ukraine.
Politics, Russia, Disinformation, Ukraine, Social Media
108 points by Anon84 221 days ago | 49 comments