🚨 Information Incident Notification: Ripple Effects of the Charlie Kirk Assassination in the Canadian Information Ecosystem. 🧵 #charliekirk #cdnpoli #uspoli

À la suite de la publication de notre rapport sur l’écosystème de l’information pendant les élections provinciales en Colombie-Britannique, @abridgman.bsky.social a discuté de la manipulation de l’information lors des élections de 2024 au micro de Rudy Desjardins. 🧵

CSDI is thrilled to announce the publication of our collaborative research with @meo-cdmrn.bsky.social studying the B.C. information environment during the 2024 provincial election! Read the full report ⬇️ meo.ca/work/british...

"The US is interfering with public debate in Greenland. Canada could be next." @marcuskolga.bsky.social (founder of CDMRN partner @disinfowatch.bsky.social) reports for @theglobeandmail.com 🧵 #cdnpoli #uspoli #Greenland

📣 Join our team! The Media Ecosystem Observatory is seeking part-time research assistants to help with collecting and analyzing qualitative data on the Canadian information ecosystem. 🧵

At Attention: Freedom, Interrupted, the panel "America as a Security Partner for Canada?" asked what Canada can expect from its closest ally in an uncertain security environment. 🧵 #foreignaffairs #cdnpoli #uspoli #partnerships #security

2025 marked Canada's first federal election since the Meta news ban came into effect in August 2023. Here's how it impacted Canadians 🧵 #cdnpoli #MetaNewsBan #election2025

Google's AI Overviews launched last year with notable blunders like a suggestion to apply pizza toppings with glue. While Google maintains their overall accuracy, experts say this technology is reshaping the internet as we know it. @anjakaradeglija.bsky.social reports for @cdnpress.bsky.social 🧵

It’s been 2 years since Meta blocked news on Facebook & Instagram in Canada. Here’s what you need to know🧵 #metanewsban #cdnpoli #onlinenewsact

Exciting news from our CDMRN partners at @ubcdemocracy.bsky.social 📣 Our final report on the 2024 BC election is coming soon!

Information manipulation is on the rise. Here's a look at why we launched the Election Monitoring and Response initiative during the 45th federal election. #election #cdnpoli

🚨AI-generated YouTube news channels pushed false information to Canadians about election fraud & Alberta separatism. Check out the new @dfrlab.bsky.social investigation here: tinyurl.com/4kkptk2t #cdnpoli #canadianelection #Alberta

🚨 Our latest report, What Should the CBC Be? is out now! The conclusion is clear: Canadians want CBC/Radio-Canada to continue, but it must evolve to remain relevant and trusted. Here's a sneak peek at the report 🧵

Troubling times lie ahead for Canada's information ecosystem if nothing is done, but for MEO director @abridgman.bsky.social, course correction is always possible. MEO's full report on the 45th federal election is coming soon! Follow us for more updates! #cdnpoli 🎥 CPAC

What’s weakening Canada’s information ecosystem, and what does it mean for our democracy? @abridgman.bsky.social presented new findings from @meo-cdmrn.bsky.social on disinformation, polarization, and media trust in the wake of the 2025 election.

ICYMI: The YouTubers behind Northern Perspective claim they were offered "extra income" from an individual with alleged ties to a sanctioned Russian entity. They reported the suspicious email to the RCMP immediately. 🧵 #cdnpoli #Russia #influencers

Looking forward to the 2025 Canadian Vote Summit, where MEO director @abridgman.bsky.social will be speaking on Foreign Interference during the 2025 Federal Election 🇨🇦 Stay tuned for more updates on May 21st!

THANK YOU for your 230+ submissions to our Digital Threat Tipline during the election! Your vigilance helped us assess 36 incidents tied to misinformation, foreign influence & more. The tipline stays open, and our work continues: www.cdmrn.ca/digital-thre... #CdnPoli #InfoIntegrity #DigitalThreats

WEEKLY UPDATE: WEEK 6 OF CANADA’S 45TH FEDERAL ELECTION🚨 We open this final weekly update with 6 key reflections from our research team on the 2025 Canadian federal election. These are preliminary impressions—our full post-election report will offer deeper insight. 🧵

Canadians are being flooded with rightwing disinfo on X ahead of the election. Aengus Bridgman warns of "mass amounts" of US-sourced misinformation as concerns rise about the role of social media in distorting Canada's democratic process: shorturl.at/Hnliv

AI-powered disinformation is flooding the 2025 election, with deepfakes and fake news posing real threats to democracy. Jennie Phillips says the spread is like a virus, and Canadians must fight it before it takes hold: www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews...

In Canada, news has quietly disappeared from social media, and most people don’t even realize it. @abridgman.bsky.social warns we're "sleepwalking" into a less informed, more polarized democracy. Listen on The Intelligence from @economist.com : shows.acast.com/d556eb54-616...

In a high-stake federal election, accurate campaign information is essential, and the line between what's real and what isn't is blurry. @spaikin.bsky.social asks @taylorowen.bsky.social (@meo-cdmrn.bsky.social @mediatechdemocracy.bsky.social) how vulnerable Canadian voters are to disinformation?

WEEKLY UPDATE: WEEK 5 OF CANADA’S 45TH FEDERAL ELECTION🚨 With Election Day on April 28, here’s a breakdown of what Canadians are seeing, saying, and sharing online this campaign season.👇

“How do you separate the signal from the noise,” asks @taylorowen.bsky.social , “when the noise is just a baseline of really bad content?” Our team is tracking when online chaos crosses the line into strategic, manipulative, or malicious: sites.libsyn.com/434604/elect...

“News” ≠ journalism anymore. @taylorowen.bsky.social says Canadians are losing their ability to distinguish between reliable reporting and random info online, and it’s reshaping our democracy. The Meta news ban? “Radical.” 11M journalism views a day, gone: share.transistor.fm/s/f862a48d

On this episode of @civildiscourseplease.ca , @abridgman.bsky.social uncovers how deepfake scams are flooding social platforms during #Elxn44 by manipulating images of politicians and exploiting voters. He calls out the failure of platform governance: open.spotify.com/episode/74x4...

With Meta’s news ban still in place, many Canadians are now completely missing traditional media in their feeds. @abridgman.bsky.social warns this could lead to “less broad understanding of politics and more hyper-focused issue orientations," : www.france24.com/en/live-news...

Deepfake political ads are flooding Facebook—and with legitimate news still blocked, many Canadians can’t tell what’s real. Jennie Phillips warns this surge in AI fakes could sway public perception and even the election outcome: thelogic.co/news/faceboo...

AI now lets users generate fake images of politicians, but the risks are clear. @abridgman.bsky.social warns about the dangers of AI-driven disinformation in this election: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Elections used to be shaped by silence. Now, they’re shaped by what doesn’t show up in your feed. @abridgman.bsky.social explains how Meta’s news ban is leaving millions of Canadians in the dark: youtu.be/RtxQvLTxATQ?...

Over 25% of Canadians are being exposed to more sophisticated and more politically polarizing fake content. These ads don’t just defraud individuals—they risk undermining trust in journalism and the democratic process, spreading misleading political content at a critical time ⚠️

WEEKLY UPDATE: WEEK 4 OF CANADA’S 45TH FEDERAL ELECTION🚨 This week’s update looks at how social media is shaping our political perceptions during the 2025 federal election. Spoiler: what you see depends a lot on where you're scrolling. 🧵

Montreal once saw half a million march for climate action—now, the environment barely registers in the federal election. Even pipeline talk is back on the table in Quebec. @sonjasolomun.bsky.social breaks it down on This is Montreal: www.cbc.ca/listen/cbc-p...

Le groupe SITE a signalé des posts coordonnés et inauthentiques en chinois sur WeChat à propos de Mark Carney. Mais selon la chercheuse Junyan Zhu, il s’agissait plutôt d’une intro à la politique canadienne, sans soutien clair à un parti ou candidat: ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/215...

With the federal election too close to call, a bigger question looms: will it be free and fair? @taylorowen.bsky.social speaks with @abridgman.bsky.social and @ninajankowicz.com about foreign interference and the growing threat of information manipulation: www.theglobeandmail.com/podcasts/mac...

Social media makes spread of disinfo easy and risk of foreign influence high, making fact-checking important during federal election. @mathieulavigne.bsky.social says fighting online disinfo takes layered defences like strong platform policies & public awareness:

🚨 Spot fake news? Help protect Canadian democracy with the Digital Threat Tipline! Report misleading posts, fake stories, and suspicious content in seconds. EN: www.cdmrn.ca/digital-thre... FR: www.cdmrn.ca/menace-numer... #DigitalThreatTipline #Canada #FightMisinformation

As the election campaign ramps up, what kind of misinformation and disinformation is spreading online? @abridgman.bsky.social speaks with @mattgalloway.bsky.social on The Current: www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...

Since the election began, we flagged a Facebook group repurposed to push 51st statehood, and AI-generated deepfakes of several political candidates. @abridgman.bsky.social says none of it threatens the election yet, but it shows how messy the info space is: www.nationalmagazine.ca/en-ca/articl...

Astroturfing is when individuals, companies or organizations try to make it look like there is a natural grassroots movement supporting their ideas or product, but have actually planned and paid for a campaign with specific messaging. Learn to spot astroturfing + more:

A buy/sell Facebook group mysteriously became a pro-Elon Musk, 51st state forum, without users opting in. @smokegatherer.bsky.social says it's likely hacked or sold. @mika-jpd.bsky.social points to an underground market where groups go for $50-$250. Meta’s fine with it.

WEEKLY UPDATE: WEEK 3 OF CANADA’S 45TH FEDERAL ELECTION🚨 As Canada approaches its federal election, we're witnessing a surge in generative AI (GenAI) content that poses serious challenges to the integrity of our information ecosystem. 🧵⬇️ #GenAI #Deepfakes #CanadaElection2025

"We need global cooperation, coordinated policy efforts, a joint response to Big Tech’s public messaging efforts, as well as long-term investment in public interest and local news. And this needs to be a priority for the next government.” Read: www.mediatechdemocracy.com/c-18-news-ba...

This #elxn45 will be the first vote under Meta's news ban. C-18, (Online News Act), was meant to boost Canada's information ecosystem—but platform defiance changed that. In new report, the full story of C-18 + crucial lessons for digital governance: tinyurl.com/c-18report 🧵➡️

Repurposed Facebook groups, AI deepfakes, and coordinated bot attacks — @abridgman.bsky.social and the team break down three subtle tactics shaping voter influence this election, at @maxbellschool.bsky.social

Deepfake videos may easily convince people that a politician said something they never said - but growing concern about genAI can tip over into paranoia, as people may be quick to dismiss real information just because it could be AI. Learn more:

With recent advances in generative AI, it has become much easier to program bots to act in a human-like way, evading detection and more convincingly tricking people. Learn some common patterns to look out for:

Information incidents are on the rise—and during an election, they can have real consequences. @drjphillips.bsky.social and @abridgman.bsky.social explain how we identify and respond to these incidents, and why it’s crucial for protecting Canadian democracy.

Election-integrity initiatives outlined by four social-media companies to Elections Canada are too broad: