Welcome to the 34th?edition of our regular newsletter with all the disinformation-related updates you should not miss.
In this edition we will look at:?
- the current disinformation?trends emerging online
- TOP 5 disinformation actors and posts?of the Slovak information space for the last two weeks
- brief overview of disinformation-related news from home and abroad
What have been the emerging disinformation trends?related to?Slovakia in the last two weeks??
- The recent NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania became a major talking point for pro-Russian actors who utilized social media to condemn the summit and spread misinformation about Western leaders profiting from the conflict in Ukraine, while portraying Ukraine's role as a pawn in a proxy war.
- Disinformers continue to push narratives suggesting that Ukraine will never become a NATO member, and if it does, a global conflict will ensue, undermining public trust in Western structures and questioning NATO's credibility.
- In the wake of record-high temperatures, actors in the Slovak information space deny manmade global warming, promoting conspiracy theories and baseless claims without providing credible evidence.
- More information is available?here.
Since the NATO Summit in Vilnius has been one of the major topics in Slovak information space in the past two weeks, we also looked at it through an optic of a list of disinformation actors in Slovakia. We used the CrowdTangle analysis tool to analyse the most popular posts on Slovak Facebook that include the keywords?“Vilnius“?and?“NATO”. Posts were evaluated based on the total number of interactions (the sum of all reactions, comments, and shares).
- President Zuzana ?aputová?signed?a new law on cybersecurity.?It aims to increase the security of the public sector, establish procedures for handling security incidents, and reduce bureaucracy.
- The Slovak police?warned?about hoaxes related to bear attacks on humans.?Bears are currently being excessively used in the creation of disinformation and the spread of fear and panic. For example, fake videos of bears in cities are appearing on social media.
- According to the Security Report of Slovakia for 2022, Russia?poses?an immediate threat to Slovakia.?It does so through activities carried out by its embassy, engaging in information operations, and manipulating public opinion in its favor. The goal is to evoke negative emotions and attitudes, particularly towards NATO and the EU.
- Slovak disinformation websites?earn?tens of thousands of euros monthly, as revealed by a new study by Infosecurity.sk.?The most profitable among them is "Hlavné správy," generating 3.7 million visits per month, with advertising revenues reaching up to 85,100 euros.
- Trust in the media continues to?decline, as shown by a new report from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.?Only 27% of Slovaks trust the media. The media scene in Slovakia is turbulent, with incidents such as political attacks on journalists and even espionage.
