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    Coronavirus Coverage by State-Backed English-Language News Sources

    9 April 2020

     Working Papers & Data Memos

    In this data memo, we examine the distribution of health-related news and information on social media of the English-language news outlets backed by the governments of China, Iran, Russia and Turkey. We measure the social distribution networks used on Twitter and Facebook and the levels of engagement with content related to the coronavirus pandemic. Over the two-week period of this study, we find that:..

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    The Challenges of Monitoring Social Media in the Arab World: The Case of the 2019 Tunisian Elections

    23 March 2020

     Working Papers & Data Memos

    Tunisian civil society groups raised alarms about the spread of disinformation and hate speech during the 2019 elections. These concerns centered around the legal and technical obstacles faced by Tunisian civil society actors monitoring elections on social media. We interviewed civil society leaders and digital rights activists in Tunisia to learn about the kinds of limitations they encountered when observing the Tunisian elections. We conclude that: (1) Tunisian civil society groups were concerned about the spread of disinformation online but efforts to monitor social media were limited and not coordinated between groups; (2) the Facebook ad library was of limited use to Tunisian observers because the library does not archive electoral or political ads in Tunisia; (3) the limited access to Facebook data was a significant obstacle for Tunisian social media observers, leading them to rely upon manual data gathering, and compounded by the unavailability of data collection tools such as CrowdTangle to many civil society groups; (4) Tunisian laws around data privacy and election regulations are insufficient for a democratic society in the digital age...

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    Industry responses to computational propaganda and social media manipulation

    22 November 2019

     Working Papers & Data Memos

    What have Internet companies done to combat the creation and spread of computational propaganda on their platforms and services? What do the leading players’ initiatives tell us about their coping strategies? How are their actions supported by the companies’ terms and policies for users and advertisers? And have there been any substantial policy changes as a result of the proliferation of computational propaganda? We examined platform initiatives and terms of service agreements of six Internet companies (Facebook, Google and YouTube, LinkedIn, Reddit, and Twitter) and found:..

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    OxTEC: Elections, technology and political campaigning in the United Kingdom

    16 October 2019

     Working Papers & Data Memos

    OxTEC’s final report, by Phil Howard and Lisa-Maria Neudert, sets out a series of recommendations aimed at securing the information infrastructure of elections and creating a trusted environment for the democratic use of technology. The report highlights areas for immediate action for policymakers, political parties, industry and civil society and also sets out short-term and long-term recommendations...

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    OxTEC: The market of disinformation

    11 October 2019

     Working Papers & Data Memos

    This report by Oxford Information Labs examines the impact of algorithmic changes made by social media platforms, designed to curb the spread of disinformation, through the lens of digital marketing.  The report highlights some of the techniques used by campaigners to attract, retain and persuade online audiences.  It also sets out recommendations for the UK Electoral Commission...

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    OxTEC: Political campaigning – the law, the gaps and the way forward

    10 October 2019

     Working Papers & Data Memos

    This OxTEC report by Ravi Naik looks into the legal framework surrounding digital political campaigning and the current regulatory gaps in this area. The report also sets out a series of future recommendations for policymakers designed to improve the regulation of political campaigning in the digital age...