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During the fall of the Soviet Union, a report on disinformation campaigns was made by Todd Leventhal (1990)

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During the fall of the Soviet Union, a report on disinformation campaigns was made by Todd Leventhal (1990)

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Todd Leventhal is a retired senior counter-disinformation officer at the State Department. He was part of the team that pieced together the actions of disinformation campaigns of the Soviet Union. He stated that while there was no active apparatus for continued disinformation campaigns, the fragments of that apparatus remained under Russian sponsorship.

(Victoria Gomez)

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1986: Multiple articles from newspapers around the world suggesting or claiming that HIV was created as a weapon. 

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1986: Multiple articles from newspapers around the world suggesting or claiming that HIV was created as a weapon. 

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From a small newspaper in 1985, the allegation continued to spread over several newspapers all over the world, including Bangladesh, Kenya, Finland, Pakistan, and Bulgaria.

This idea goes viral to the point where it eventually ends up on television in 1987. The idea that came from just one source eventually mutated into a conspiracy that spanned the Earth.

Question: What is it about this particular story that made it go viral? Why is this believable, while other stories do not take traction as well?

(Victoria Gomez)

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 Anti-immigrant narratives and disinformation

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 Anti-immigrant narratives and disinformation

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Disinformation narratives against race, gender, and immigration explosively increase in 2023 as anxiety of white working class grows and the extreme right-wing groups are specifically targeting immigrants as "invaders" and label them as "dangerous" groups taking away jobs and resources.

(Samuel Addington)

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In 2024, a concerning trend of AI-generated disinformation emerged, with sophisticated algorithms being employed to fabricate convincing narratives and manipulate public opinion on social media platforms.

(Samuel Addington)

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Trump know well the tactics. Initially denying its existence, he's now a willing amplifier of conspiracy theories, even creating his own. This pollution of truth confuses debates, diverting us from real solutions to pressing issues

(Solange Sandel )

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platforms like Facebook have been falling short when it comes to combating information warfare and disinformation. Despite their vast resources and influence, they have often ignored the seriousness of the issue.

Another area that needs attention is the issue of anonymity. Platforms should implement measures to verify the identities of account holders to ensure that real people are behind the content being shared.

But ultimately, meaningful change will require regulation. We need to hold these platforms accountable for their role in facilitating the spread of disinformation and push for stricter regulations to ensure they take proactive measures to combat it.

Strong leadership is essential in this fight against disinformation. Obama's recognition of the issue, although late in the game

(Solange Sandel)

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After Russia hacked and released John Podesta's emails, they crafted the child trafficking story. Someone refused to acknowledge the information that proved this to be inaccuarate and shot the pizza place up, late 2016-early 2017

-Dee

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With the fall of the USSR, people erroneously thought the disinformation programs were done, they were not.

-Dee

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The Soviet Union collapsed and America felt as if these disinformation tactics were no more. My question is why would they think that? Why wouldn’t disinformation be a main focus/red flag moving forward? Just because the Soviet leader apologized and made empty promises to our president?

This is significant because I want to know what our country was not telling us. It yet again shows the deception that we even face at the hands of our own country. The idea of this political virus called disinformation may have started in Russia with KGB spies, but after just watching this first episode, I’m sure America is not far behind.

(Kierra Kern)

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End of 1986- AIDS Disinformation Gone Viral

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End of 1986- AIDS Disinformation Gone Viral

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In the span of a few months, the following 7 countries released articles spreading the lie further: Kenya, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Finland, Pakistan, United Kingdom. See image above for spatial reference.

(Kierra Kern)

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September 12, 1985- AIDS KGB Disinformation Reintroduction 

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September 12, 1985- AIDS KGB Disinformation Reintroduction 

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The original release of the AIDS disinformation by the KGB  occurred in New Dehli, India in 1983. However it wasn’t until 1985 when the Soviet Union intentionally released the same AIDS disinformation in a more popular, white population, Moscow, Russia. The supporting source for the “new” article was the original paper from India. From there, this fake news grew.

(Kierra Kern)

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Congress put aside $120,000,000 to fund the defense against disinformation. They only used 1/3 of it to help stop disinformation.
(Lindsey Steltenpohl)

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Obama signs an executive order to  counter for disinformation. However, he was worried about the threat from ISIS that the order only covered terror groups. Russia was able to carry on unimpeded.

(Lindsey Steltenpohl)

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“Pizza Gate” Information Revealed on Wiki Leaks

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“Pizza Gate” Information Revealed on Wiki Leaks

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October 7, 2016

Wiki Leaks posted more than 2,000 emails from John Podesta. This kept Russian hackers hidden, using an online website and combining real information with fake information.

Jordan Roth

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2014:
Russia created articles and released them in newspapers and online news sources claiming that the Us was behind the Ebola outbreak and the Zika virus. Russia has used divisions in society to create chaos.

Jordan Roth

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KGB Doubles Down on HIV/AIDS Disinformation Campaign

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KGB Doubles Down on HIV/AIDS Disinformation Campaign

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September 1985: A Moscow newspaper publishes an article regarding HIV's origins; claiming it began in the United States. The article sites another article from a few years prior out of India. However, the cited article was also planted by KGB agents. The goal was to mask the origin of the information; making it more difficult to trace and disconnecting it further from the KGB.

Unclear or misleading origins are still utilized today for disinformation. On the surface, sources may be cited to seem "credible", and too many consumers are all too ready to accept content at face value.

[Josh Yoder]

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John Podesta emails (hacked by Russians) - Pizzagate - before the election

A story was built using the content of the emails to create disinformation. They used social media to push the story out and keep it going. It only took 6 months for it to take off. Led to an actual shooting in a pizza parlor!

(Abby Howdeshell)

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Anti-Islam Protest in Downtown

People lined the streets to protest with signs & t-shirts based on two Facebook group events that were found to be created by Russians. Therefore, everyone was there by mistake.

(Abby Howdeshell)

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Since the KGB from 1983 up until 1989 within the episode I watched, it is evident that they deliberately create disinformation and it is their mission to spread it, and spread it. Since this is deliberately and rapidly occurring then and now (in social media regard) how can anyone not question everything they see? If this is in our news, social media, internet, and all over how can one fact-check without fearing of not having trusted resources since this is done deliberately so much? This causes much curiosity and questioning of all information that is spread.

(Cassidy Garcia)

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The KGB continued to propose the idea that Aids was created by Americans, and on March 30th they finally had their disinformation being spread on national television. This is important because even in the past information spread and spread just like it rapidly does today on social media.

(Cassidy Garcia)

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KGB's HIV Virus Disinformation and Defamation Campaign Tactics

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KGB's HIV Virus Disinformation and Defamation Campaign Tactics

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1983: Used a "third world country" newspaper to give acceptability when nobody was searching about the origin.
1985: Revived an inactive story in a Moscow newspaper.
1986: Added seriousness to the story. Brought two scientists to bring credibility to the story.
1986: The story got spread over 80 countries. A British doctor supported the former East German colleagues' claims.
1987: The story hit the U.S. national tv channel.
(Sibel Crum)

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KGB's Disinformation spread: HIV's Origins 

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KGB's Disinformation spread: HIV's Origins 

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1983, an Indian newspaper published an allegation claiming that the HIV virus was created by U.S. government scientists as a political weapon to eradicate certain groups in American society.
1985, the story was spreading in Africa.
1986, the allegation was supported by two biologists from former East Germany that could provide evidence that the virus was created in the U.S.
1987, the fabricated story was carried on a U.S. news channel. The news anchor presented the story as a Soviet government claim. This time, the disinformation was modified. HIV was not created as a biological weapon, but as a leak from a U.S. army lab.
What happened to the KGB defectors who got political asylum in the U.S.? Were they under witness protection? How did they survive?
(Sibel Crum)

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1985-1987 - Active Measures Working Group

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1985-1987 - Active Measures Working Group

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The Reagan administration created a working group lead by Kathleen Bailey to undercover disinformation, aka a government truth squad.  This group uncovered the truth about the how the spread of AIDS started.

(Gina Londino-Smolar)

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1950s - First documentation of disinformation spread by Russia

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1950s - First documentation of disinformation spread by Russia

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Russia has been using technology to spread disinformation in the US since the 1950s. Technology such as radio, has been used to spread false information, many times people don't realize this has been going on for a long time.

(Gina Londino-Smolar)

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Investigations of social media accounts and the role they may have played in Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections

(Kierston Shively)

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In episode 3, they inform their audience about other countries timeline with disinformation. It has been prevalent in other countries longer than in the U.S.. For example, in Ukraine, they don’t only have entertainment news channels or only shows for entertainment. They provide their people with a show that teaches their population about the detection of disinformation from Russia. Russia is one of the main countries that contribute to disinformation.
(Katelyn Hansen)

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Attempt to regain control on disinformation 

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Attempt to regain control on disinformation 

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According to Episode 3, in 1980, Ronald Regan created the active measures working group. This group was created to combat disinformation. Most famously, Operation Infeckion to stomp disinformation concerning the AIDS pandemic.
(Katelyn Hansen)

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According to Episode Two, Russia has frequently taken advantage of times that our country (or others, really) have been at a divide, in order to add “fuel to the fire”, as one may say. They have used the situation to their benefit.

(Erin Fleece)

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I am wondering how those who took part in creating this disinformation 10-20 years ago knew how to conceal their hand? Nowadays, there are plenty of fake news websites that allow people to practically anonymously create disinformation, but how did they know how to do this many years ago, when the Internet was just getting started?

(Erin Fleece)

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Putin begins funding something called “The Internet Research Agency”.

(Erin Fleece)

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Putin tests the information inside Russia, on Russians.

(Erin Fleece)

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This is where the timeline ends. Add to the left of this point.

(Jeremy Price)

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Add to the right of this point on the Timeline of Disinformation.

(Jeremy Price)