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Ari Winkleman
Cyabra data of trump trial
Talk about courting attention. Former President Donald Trump’s guilty verdict in his hush money trial on 34 felony counts captured the public’s imagination – some to rejoice, others to reject – and much of the debate played out on X, formerly known as Twitter.
But, dearest gentle reader, we humans were not alone. Internet bots also immediately got to work to manipulate the online conversation. As a part of our ongoing investigation into how disinformation is affecting the 2024 election and US democracy, we partnered with Cyabra, a disinformation detection firm, to investigate how fake profiles online responded to the Trump trial.
After analyzing 22,000 pieces of trial-related content, Cyabra found that 17% came from fake accounts. While real people made up the majority of posts, 55% of the inauthentic posts were aimed at discrediting the US justice system and portraying Trump as a victim of a biased system.
Regardless of how one feels about Trump’s criminality, posts like these further endanger voters’ faith in institutions at a time when trust in them is already at an all-time low. Plummeting trust in institutions is also fueling conspiracy theories. To learn about the theories with the biggest influence on the 2024 election, check out GZERO’s new immersive project here.
Graph of real and fake account activity on AOC's X account.
GZERO teamed up with Cyabra, a disinformation detection firm, to investigate how fake actors on the internet could be shaping interactions with AOC’s posts.
They found that 27% of responses to her X posts condemning US involvement in Israel’s Gaza operations and Columbia University’s use of police against protesters were from fake accounts.
The most common words used by the fake accounts were “Hamas” and “terrorist,” and their comments were usually accusing the congresswoman of sympathizing with terrorists or inciting violence. Many also compared the student protests to the Jan. 6 riots, proposing that there was a double standard to the protesters’ political agenda.
Analysis of new and fake responses to the DNC’s X post announcing the 2024 convention.
When students protesting the war in Gaza took over a building onColumbia’s campus 56 years to the day after it was occupied by students protesting the Vietnam War, many began drawing parallels between the two waves of student protests.
Back in 1968, student demonstrators went home for the summer, only to resurface by the thousands at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, and, long story short, things got ugly. The gathering erupted into violence, leading to the activation of the National Guard and the arrests of hundreds of protesters.
This August, the DNC is also in Chicago, which has some wondering: Could history repeat itself? GZERO posed the question to Cyabra, an Israel-based data firm that investigates fake actors on the internet. They analyzed the response to the DNC’s X post announcing the convention to see if fake accounts were inciting protests or calling for chaos.
They found that 11% of the accounts that commented on the post were fake. While that means the majority of accounts were authentic, 72% of the fake accounts were calling for violence at the DNC, with a large number rallying people to “go on the streets.”
Last weekend,student protestors retook Columbia’s lawns, setting up another Gaza Solidarity Encampment during the alumni weekend – proof that the student movement is not taking a summer vacation. So calls for chaos at the convention will likely continue to grow from both real and fake actors online as the event nears.
Infographic of fake and real accounts that interacted with a post from Israel's prime minister.
X has become a critical means for politicians and the public to broadcast their views on current events, often triggering controversy, trolling, and bitter battles in the new political arena: the comments section. Trouble is, it’s not just people posting. Social media bots — programs that automate interactions and post content on social media in ways that mimic human behavior — are also flooding the comments section, which means you may be responding to fake accounts, not humans.
We partnered with Cyabra, an Israel-based data firm that investigates fake actors on the internet, and found that bots flocked to Bibi’s post in droves. They made up over 43% of all replies, and of the bots spreading negative sentiment about the post, 19% used keywords like “genocide,” “kids,” and “children.”
The investigation also found that while real accounts outnumbered fake ones, the bots were far more active, with many commenting multiple times. Across the board, they found that up to 31% of comments responding to posts from key political figures are fueled by fake accounts.
Happy World Water Day! This year’s theme, “Leveraging Water for Peace,” is a reminder that this precious shared resource can either spark conflict or foster peace. Nowhere is this more evident than in places where freshwater is shared between countries, known as transboundary aquifers, and 60% of the world’s flow traverses political boundaries, hydrating over 150 countries.
Much of the world’s freshwater comes from precipitation, which is increasingly impacted by climate change-induced droughts, heightening the risk of water-fueled conflict.
As water quantity drops, especially in places experiencing rising demand from rapid population growth, the competition intensifies. Nowhere is this more destabilizing than in countries sharing transboundary aquifers. Transboundary water cooperation is crucial for regional stability and conflict prevention. Yet only 24 countries have cooperation agreements for their shared water.
For World Water Day today, we take a look at some of the places that share H2O.
The Graphic Truth: Black representation in the US Congress
Since Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic "I have a dream" speech in August 1963, the number of Black Americans elected to the US Congress has increased dramatically. Still, it wasn't until 2019, more than half a century later, that the share of Black members serving in the House of Representatives reflected the percentage of Black Americans in the broader population: 12%. To date, only seven US states have sent Black representatives to serve in the US Senate.
Here's a look at Black representation in every US Congress since 1963.
In just one month, the fighting in Gaza has claimed more UN aid workers' lives than any previous conflict. Since Oct. 7, at least 89 UNRWA personnel, the major UN humanitarian aid force in the region, have been killed. In total, 131 UN aid workers have died in the Gaza Strip in 2023. UN leaders are calling for an immediate ceasefire and expansion of humanitarian access to Gaza, emphasizing the need to protect civilians and vital infrastructure and to ensure the safe and swift delivery of essential aid.
But Israel remains unswayed by their calls and mounting international pressure for a ceasefire, saying hostages taken by Hamas militants should be released first.The Graphic Truth: The NHL is no longer dominated by Canadians
Tuesday was the happiest day of the year for many Canadians: NHL opening night! Canadian fans may notice, however, that there are fewer and fewer Canadian players – part of an ongoing trend. In fact, the last time more than half the league hailed from Canada was 10 years ago, as ever-greater contingents from the US and Europe filled NHL rosters.
It’s a far cry from the early days of the league when the NHL was an all-Canadian affair. Nearly a century ago, in 1924, the Boston Bruins joined the NHL as the first American team. Even then, the number of Americans was tiny – less than 5% for most of the 1940s and 50s – and Europeans hardly even registered.
That all started to change in 1967 when the NHL added six new American teams. It opened slots for more American players, and a trickle of talent from Sweden, Finland, and later Czechoslovakia found its way to the New World as well.
But the biggest changes came after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Long Canada’s fiercest rival at Olympic-level hockey, the fall of the Iron Curtain coincided with a major influx of Russian and other former Soviet players.
But as our graphic above shows, these days the share of European players is falling, and Americans are the fastest-growing demographic in the league.