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epd.euCivil society calls on the European Parliament to condemn pressures on #Disinfo2026 | European Partnership for Democracy 22823 Civil society calls on the European Parliament to condemn pressures on #D...On 7-8 October, EU DisinfoLab, an independent European civil society organisation, convened the biggest European conference on disinformation in Vilnius, Li ...

Democracy dies in silence. We refuse to keep quiet. CheckFirst supports @disinfo.eu and joins 70 organisations in urging the European Parliament to condemn all foreign interference. Under US pressure, sponsors pulled out of #Disinfo2026. The EU must stand firm. 🇪🇺 epd.eu/news-publica...

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Next week, we're heading to the #Disinfo2026 conference! @disinfo.eu While the entire team will be attending the conference, two of us will also be speaking during separate sessions:

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➡️ "The mechanics of weaponised influence" Moderated by @nelly.checkfirst.network, this session looks at how regimes, political campaigns, and corporate PR use influencers to manufacture authenticity, with insights from Lea Frühwirth and Jeanne Maurin-Bonini.

disinfo.eu#Disinfo2026 - EU DisinfoLabOur next annual conference, #Disinfo2026, will take place on 7–8 October 2026 in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Feel free to reach out between sessions or grab a coffee with us if you'd like to further discuss strategies against disinformation! 📅 7-8 October 2026 📍 Vilnius, Lithuania 🔗 www.disinfo.eu/conference/

Next week, we're heading to the #Disinfo2026 conference! @disinfo.eu While the entire team will be attending the conference, two of us will also be speaking during separate sessions:

➡️ "The infrastructure of information operations: mapping and disrupting the technical backbone of FIMI" @herve.checkfirst.network will take a deep dive into the FIMI infrastructure alongside Jean-Philippe Salles, Inês Narciso, Rachel Winny, and Viktoras Daukšas.

checkfirst.networkCheckFirst and Filigran connect the Pravda network to OpenCTI - CheckFirstMeet CheckFirst’s Import Connector, which brings in real-time data directly from the Pravda network.

It’s also the perfect moment to showcase the CheckFirst Import Connector, developed in collaboration with OpenCTI. Learn more about the connector 🔗 checkfirst.network/checkfirst-...

New ways to fight online #disinformation. How public institutions can get a handle on #AI. How civil society pushes back against election interference. This week, we’re speaking at and taking part in a range of events. Different topics, same goal: building a safer online environment for everyone. ⤵️

15 Sept

𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧 👾 -by our partner Snoop.ro For 5️⃣ months, we tracked over 100,000 ads displayed across 131 websites in Eastern Europe. After decoding the hidden mechanisms behind these ads, we uncovered a network of Russian companies.

This investigation was conducted in collaboration with journalists from across Eastern Europe and made possible by Journalism Science Alliance A huge thanks to our them for this joint effort throughout the year

checkfirst.networkThe Kremlin’s Digital Pirates: How Russian Tracking Pixels Harvest Romanians’ Data to Fund Conspiracies and Extremism - CheckFirstFor five months, we tracked over 100,000 ads displayed across 131 websites in Eastern Europe. After decoding the hidden mechanisms behind these ads, we uncovered a network of Russian companies. This i...

15 Sept

👀 Stay tuned ... the nitty-gritty details of how it was made possible are coming. checkfirst.network/the-kremlins...

This article is the result of a technical investigation into the code behind the ads running on Romanians’ computers. We built custom software that allowed us to follow the Russian money flowing into Eastern European websites, including Romanian ones, over the past few months.

15 Sept

International experts consulted by Snoop warn that such databases serve purposes far beyond advertising: they can become tools for surveillance and behavioral manipulation when they end up in the hands of authoritarian states.

🇷🇴 This investigation reveals what data is harvested from Romanians, who ends up receiving it and why the ads shown on platforms with conspiratorial and extremist content are among the most valuable to this network.

📫 You've got mail! The September edition of Indeed, our monthly newsletter, is out. 🔗 r.crossover.social/3gvudqjxzlx... Here's what's inside ⤵️

🎙️ Our Pravda dashboard and our @radar.checkfirst.network helping to build other toolkits (👋 @edmo-belux.bsky.social and @alliance4europe.bsky.social). Maltego also released a report expanding on our investigation into the GRU's Information Operations Troops!

checkfirst.networkIndeed! The official CheckFirst newsletter - CheckFirstSubscribe to our newsletter and get a monthly recap of the latest news from CheckFirst straight in your inbox

📆 Upcoming events related to information manipulation, platform regulation and OSINT. By the way, @nellyp.checkfirst.network will be joining a panel discussion at the @mythdetector.com "Unveil the Truth" conference on October 1st! Subscribe 🔗 checkfirst.network/newsletter/

📫 You've got mail! The September edition of Indeed, our monthly newsletter, is out. 🔗 r.crossover.social/3gvudqjxzlx... Here's what's inside ⤵️

docs.google.comEuropean Information Integrity Community SurveyWhat are the most pressing problems facing the European information integrity community today? And what resources, capabilities or infrastructure could help to mitigate these problems? This short survey (~5 minutes) helps us learn about what to advocate for and what to prioritise. Thank you for your input. This survey is conducted by CheckFirst and EFCSN.

📝 A 5-minute survey exploring the main issues faced by people who work on #information integrity. docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1...

👀 A sneak peek at what to expect from us at the @disinfo.eu annual conference. We'll be sharing more information soon once the full programme is online!

checkfirst.networkCheckFirst’s 6th Birthday: a year of innovations - CheckFirstWe are delighted and proud to celebrate our sixth anniversary! We marked this occasion by reflecting on our achievements and learnings over the past year.

16 July

CheckFirst is 6 years old already! 🥳 Read our blog post to find out more about our achievements of the past year: the innovative research we conducted, the fresh projects we built, and the new leadership team behind them. 🔗 checkfirst.network/checkfirsts...

2 July

𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧 🌉 𝗥𝗼𝘀𝗸𝗮 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗲: how a pro-Russian IMS exploits vulnerabilities of decentralised platforms to spread propaganda 🔗 checkfirst.network/roska-bridge...

➡️ Mastodon’s per-instance moderation lets Roska Bridge stay online even after partial Bluesky takedowns. ➡️ The promotion of MAX, a state-backed Russian messaging app requiring a Russian phone number, suggests the IMS targets domestic Russian audiences as well as Western ones.

2 July

➡️ Near-identical posts across Roska Bridge and the Pravda Network constitute indicators of CIB and strongly suggest a structural link with the Pravda ecosystem, although without formal proof. 📩 For any questions about this report, please contact us at info@checkfirst.network.

The IMS weaponizes @ap.brid.gy to cross-post from Mastodon to Bluesky in coordinated waves, laundering narratives from sanctioned Russian outlets (RT, Sputnik, Pravda Network) and pro-Russian Telegram channels before moderation catches up.

11 June

𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧 🇦🇲 In the month ahead of #Armenia's June 7 parliamentary #elections, we monitored how Russian information manipulation sets were targeting the vote, and what #TikTok and #YouTube’s algorithms were actually serving to French users searching for content about it.

On TikTok, French users searching "Pashinyan" were served hostile content, notably AI-generated videos, sometimes from accounts linked to the Kremlin, Azerbaijan, and the Armenian diaspora.

checkfirst.networkNoise without effect: anti-Pashinyan disinformation on the rise ahead of Armenian parliamentary elections - CheckFirstWe spent one month ahead of Armenian parliamentary elections monitoring disinformation spread by foreign Information Manipulation Sets and tracking what recommendation algorithms were pushing to diaspora users searching for content about the vote.

11 June

Pashinyan won. The operations fired blanks at the ballot box. Our report 🔗 checkfirst.network/noise-witho...

Russia deployed a network of 72 fake news sites linked to #Storm1516, 56 of those domains pushed narratives targeting PM Pashinyan. 17 had also previously targeted France's municipal elections.

checkfirst.networkWatch the replay: Ethics in the fight against disinformation: from theory to practice - CheckFirstOn May 19th, Nelly Pailleux discussed the ethical implications while conducting OSINT investigations in light of the ObSINT guidelines.

28 May

🎦 On May 19th, in a @disinfo.eu webinar, our COO @nellyp.bsky.social shared how @obsint.eu guidelines can support ethical #OSINT research. Watch the replay 🔗 checkfirst.network/watch-the-r...

obsint.euGuidelines for Public Interest OSINT Investigations | ObSINTThese Guidelines have been produced by organisations conducting Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) based research for public interest in Europe. The organisations having participated in the redaction of those Guidelines are EU DisinfoLab, CheckFirst, Centre for Information Resilience, DFR Lab, Open Facto, OSINTCurious, and Logically. We acknowledge that we do not represent the entire OSINT community […]

28 May

Read ObSINT guidelines 🔗 obsint.eu/guidelines-...

19 May

Today, during a webinar hosted by @disinfo.eu, our COO @nellyp.bsky.social will discuss the ethical questions that surround the use of OSINT in disinformation investigations and how the @obsint.eu guidelines can help. Join the discussion at 2:30 pm, CEST 🔗 www.disinfo.eu/19-may-ethic...

29 Apr

Today, we’re releasing the CheckFirst Import Connector on Filigran’s #opensource cyber threat intelligence platform, #OpenCTI. This connector is built to help track and monitor the #Pravda network. 🔗 checkfirst.network/checkfirst-...

27 Apr

🎦 What can old military decorations found on the Internet reveal about the most opaque Russian intelligence infrastructures? In a webinar hosted by @disinfo.eu, @herve.checkfirst.network answered that question by presenting findings from two recent investigations merging #OSINT and phaleristics. ⤵️

checkfirst.networkWatch the replay: Decoding Russian intelligence: what medals and insignia reveal - CheckFirstOn April 23rd, Hervé Letoqueux presented findings from two recent investigations merging OSINT and phaleristics.

27 Apr

Watch the replay 🔗 checkfirst.network/watch-the-r...

disinfo.eu23 April: Case Study - Decoding Russian intelligence: What medals and insignia revealExplore how OSINT analysis of Russian military medals and insignia reveals hidden structures within the FSB and GRU’s cyber and intelligence operations.

23 Apr

Today, alongside @disinfo.eu, we are inviting you to attend a webinar in which we will explore our #OSINT investigations into Russian military awards. @herve.checkfirst.network will talk about our methodology, our findings and more! Join us 🔗 www.disinfo.eu/23-april-dec...

22 Apr

Join us tomorrow at 2:30 pm (CET) to find out more about our #OSINT work featuring Russian military awards!

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checkfirst.networkCheck First and Samsa immerse French journalists in a virtual foreign interference campaign - CheckFirstWe constructed a one-day training with the French training organisation Samsa to help French journalists to learn how to identify and analyze information manipulation, disinformation campaigns, and coordinated inauthentic behavior in electoral context.

9 Apr

Grab your pen, your notebook and your laptop, it's today! 🔥

CheckFirst@checkfirst.network

Want to know how #disinformation campaigns work? Come and see us at the Agora for #Journalism in Tours, France, on 9 April, where we'll be showcasing tutki.tech in a 90-minute workshop with @samsafr.bsky.social. Join us 🔗 journalisme.com/programmati...

We partnered with @samsafr.bsky.social to help @radiofrance.fr journalists to learn how to identify and analyze #disinformation campaigns in electoral context. 🔗 checkfirst.network/check-first...

journalisme.com90 minutes dans la bataille informationnelle - Journalisme.comAtelier immersif avec Samsa et CheckFirst

13 Mar

How did we do that? With Tutki, our training platform designed to simulate disinformation campaigns. Tutki is also available as a standalone platform for trainers 🔗 tutki.tech/ We will also run another session in Tours on April 9th. See you there! 🔗 journalisme.com/programmati...

shows.acast.comMunicipales 2026 : la désinfo russe au programme ? | Propagations36000 communes, combien d'attaques informationnelles ?

12 Mar

🗳️ Pour en savoir plus sur les tentatives de manipulations de l'information pendant la campagne municipale française, on vous invite à écouter l'interview de notre CEO @herve.checkfirst.network dans @propagationspod.bsky.social ! 🎧 shows.acast.com/propagations...

Le Monde@lemonde.fr

Sébastien Delogu, François Piquemal et LFI ciblés par une campagne de désinformation en pleine campagne des municipales

lemonde.frSébastien Delogu, François Piquemal et LFI ciblés par une campagne de désinformation en pleine campagne des municipalesUn ensemble de sites et de faux comptes sur les réseaux sociaux attaquent des candidats « insoumis » aux municipales. Une opération complexe et bien financée dont les commanditaires ne sont pas encore identifiés.

9 Mar

📫 You've got mail! The March issue of our monthly newsletter 'Indeed' is out. This edition features a glimpse of our latest #investigation into the GRU's Information Operations Troops (VIO), using photographs of medals and #OSINT.

9 Mar

Subscribe to our newsletter to learn more about our media interventions (including @herve.checkfirst.network's interview with @propagationspod.bsky.social), our selected publications on topics of interest, and upcoming events related to #disinformation, #OSINT, and more!