The Active Measures Newsletter Podcast

What Really Scares Authoritarians with Scott Fisher and Graig Klein

Authoritarian regimes from Moscow to Beijing fear losing control of their own information eco-systems—more than military exercises, more than economic sanctions, and more

The Propaganda Manual of the Ukraine War with Thomas Kent

Russia and Ukraine are fighting more than battles on Ukrainian soil, they are fighting a war for minds, and other governments are still playing catch-up. Thomas Kent of t

The AI Disinformation Incident Repository with Sam Stockwell and Broderick McDonald

AI disinformation is no longer just about deepfakes. It is now about poisoned search results, chatbot hallucinations, meme-driven propaganda, and a fast-growing economy b

TikTok is a Potent Weapon of CCP Political Warfare with Michael Sobolik

TikTok is a potent tool for the Chinese Communist Party’s psychological warfare against the United States. In this conversation, the Hudson Institute’s Michael Sobolik hi

AI Powered Community Notes on X with Alexios Mantzarlis

AI is already writing more than half of X’s helpful Community Notes, and that changes everything about who gets fact-checked, what gets fact-checked, and what happens whe

'Working the Political Engine': Revolutionary War-Era Propaganda with Robert Parkinson

Propaganda was foundational to America's independence, from the direct appeal of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense to the black-propaganda of Benjamin Franklin’s scalp hoax.  B

'Assume that everything you're seeing is paid for' with Jason Beeferman

That post you saw about Polymarket odds?  It very well may have been sponsored—paid for by the company that stands to gain the most from your wager.  Only the influencer

Special Edition: Operation Cornflakes

In the realm of disinformation and political warfare, few operations stand out as prominently as Operation Cornflakes. This unique campaign, launched during World War II,

Special Edition: Propaganda and the American Revolution

The Declaration of Independence, adopted on July 4, 1776, was more than a formal announcement of separation from Britain, it was a masterful piece of propaganda. By artic

The Bulgarian Elections with Sopo Gelava

We started noticing it in 2024: an inside-outside game in which American political actors seed divisive issues that are then exploited from abroad.  But there are also in

Active Measures with Sean M. Wiswesser

Some look at the U.S. elections in 2016 and 2020 and see issues of partisan contention.  Sean M. Wiswesser--a national security professional with 30 years of experience i

Fighting Disinformation and Protecting the Constitution with Katie Kedian

During the Cold War, President Eisenhower used to caution people that in confronting the Soviets, the United States needed to be careful that we didn’t destroy the very t

CISA Dismantled with Former U.S. Representatives Tim Roemer and Reid Ribble

In 2018, President Donald Trump signed into law legislation creating the Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).  Yet former Congressmen Tim Roemer (D-IN) an

Honoring the Fallen: A Memorial Day Tribute

As long as humanity has etched images into stone and told stories to others, we have honored and remembered heroes so that their names would live forever.  In this Memori

Tracking Foreign Language Disinformation with Martina Guzmán

Anyone who has ever tried to study disinformation is well-familiar with the firehose of falsehoods—there’s just so much content on so many platforms and in so much media

Disinformation, Accountability and Democracy with Alan Jagolinzer

Over the last 18 months, the Trump administration has characterized efforts to counter disinformation as attacks on free speech, going so far as refuse visas to European

Storm-1516 and the Hungarian Election with Darren Linvill

Peter Magyar and the Tisza Party won the Hungarian parliamentary elections in April, but Russia’s coordinated influence campaign to discredit him and his party exposes cu

Iranian Influence Campaigns with "Jane" from Graphika

Iran’s digital influence campaigns didn’t start with the current war, and they won’t stop when it ends, says “Jane,” an analyst from the intelligence firm Graphika who as

Iran's Lego War with David Gilbert

Iran is winning the meme war.  It may seem like a silly metric, but it cuts to the quick of the nature of conflict. Iranian use of AI generated Lego-movies has shown the

Russia, Telegram, and Indications of Growing Disconent with Anna Varfolomeeva

Telegram, the Russian-built social media platform, played a critical role in the Kremlin’s ability to make its case about the war in Ukraine.  But Anna Varfolomeeva of th