Exposing Online Mass Manipulation: How Influence Operations Sparked UK Riots
Details
In February 2024, unusual Facebook adverts in the UK triggered computational social scientist Sohan Dsouza's suspicions. He collaborated with counter-disinformation researcher Dr. Marc Owen Jones, leading to a deep investigation into a complex operation. This operation, running across multiple platforms for months, used significant funds and novel techniques to evade detection. While appearing to vilify Qatar, the campaign also promoted other political interests, worryingly using anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant tropes.
Weeks after the operation's exposure in July 2024, and following a tragic attack in Southport, England, anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant riots flared up around the UK. Sohan and Marc observed how the operation's groundwork and active misinformation/disinformation amplified these events.
In their presentation, Sohan and Marc will detail their investigations into both the organised operation—which they dubbed “The Qatar Plot”—and the misinformation spread during the Southport riots. They will also discuss crucial lessons for navigating vast amounts of online information
Guest Speakers:
Sohan Dsouza - Website: https://www.sohandsouza.info
A computational social scientist and open-source intelligence practitioner with research experience in crowdsourcing, AI ethics, and disinformation. Sohan has worked on projects at MIT Media Lab and Masdar Institute and published in major journals.
Dr. Marc Owen Jones - Website: https://linktr.ee/marcowenjones
An Associate Professor at Northwestern University in Qatar, specialising in disinformation and digital authoritarianism, Marc has won multiple awards for his research and publications and is a frequent commentator in international media.
For full author bios, please visit: https://sites.google.com/view/theqatarplotreport/authors/
References:
- Plot homepage: https://sites.google.com/view/theqatarplotreport/
- Read the report: https://sites.google.com/view/theqatarplotreport/report?authuser=0
- Media coverage: https://sites.google.com/view/theqatarplotreport/media-coverage?authuser=0
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