For 20 years, ISD has delivered field-leading threat detection, analysis and real-world strategies to combat terrorism, extremism and authoritarianism - in all their ideological forms.

Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference

Democratic societies face a barrage of influence operations from foreign state actors that threaten election integrity, national security and individual rights. ISD is a world leader in identifying, analysing, exposing and combating Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI), identifying networks of pro-Kremlin, pro-Chinese and pro-Iranian influence that is manipulative in character and conducted in an intentional and coordinated manner. Actors of such activity can be state or non-state actors, including their proxies inside and outside of their own territory.  

May 27, 2026

All operations on Armenia: Russia’s influence machine targets the vote

Multiple Russian information operations are converging on Armenia in an apparent attempt to influence parliamentary elections on 7 June

Democratic Integrity, Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference, Information Warfare and Online Manipulation

April 23, 2026

Iran’s diplomats launch a meme war

Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference, Information Warfare and Online Manipulation

April 15, 2026

How pro-Iran networks gained a billion views on war propaganda

Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference, Information Warfare and Online Manipulation

April 2, 2026

Foreign actors and foreign influence: An exploratory analysis of international state actors targeting Ireland in 2025

Coordinated Inauthentic Behaviour, Data Access and Transparency, Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference

March 31, 2026

Irish unity, Palestine and Soleimani: Analysis of an Iranian information operation targeting Ireland

Coordinated Inauthentic Behaviour, Data Access and Transparency, Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference

March 14, 2026

Iran floods global social media with AI content during ongoing conflict

Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference

March 9, 2026

ISD investigation exposes sophistication of Russian interference in EU and beyond

Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference, Information Warfare and Online Manipulation

March 7, 2026

AI floods the Iran conflict narrative with misinformation and state influence

Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference, Information Warfare and Online Manipulation

March 5, 2026

A “narrative war” unfolds online after US-Israel strikes on Iran

Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference, Information Warfare and Online Manipulation

Further Reading

August 9, 2022

UK far-right group attempts to hijack World Indigenous Day with racist contest

ISD's Tim Squirrell spoke to VICE about the "abhorrent" campaign that started three years ago during the Black Lives Matter protests.

Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference, Identity-Based Hate and Abuse

August 3, 2022

Extremist ‘educational’ resources radicalising young people online

ISD's Julia Ebner and Jacob Davey spoke to the Guardian about the strategies and resources extremists are using to radicalise young people.

Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference, Targeted Threats, Hate and Abuse

August 3, 2022

Melanie Smith on combatting domestic terrorism in the US

Head of ISD's Digital Analysis Unit, Melanie Smith, features in this podcast talking about the threat of radicalized violence, Jan. 6, and more.

Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference, Targeted Threats, Hate and Abuse, Terrorism and Extremism

July 30, 2022

QAnon, the COVID-19 incubator and the hybridised threat landscape

Melanie Smith spoke to BBC Trending about the evolving threat posed by QAnon and weaponised conspiracy theories.

Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference, Hybrid Extremism and Nihilistic Violence, Targeted Threats, Hate and Abuse

July 25, 2022

QAnon boom fades as the U.S. inches closer to primary elections

Jared Holt spoke to NYT about how supporting QAnon in the US doesn't necessarily equate to a successful campaign ahead of the 2022 primary election.

Democratic Integrity, Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference

July 21, 2022

Lea Gerster: Populist conspiracies thrive in moments of desperation

ISD's Lea Gerster features in this newsletter for Coda story, commenting on why people turn to conspiracies in moments of desperation.

Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference

July 13, 2022

Conspiracists and nationalists support Dutch farmers’ protest against climate measures

Katherine Keneally spoke to Grid about the convergence of climate policies and conspiracies currently playing out in the Netherlands.

Climate, Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference, Hybrid Extremism and Nihilistic Violence

July 11, 2022

‘Self-initiated terrorists’ reference the ‘Great Replacement’ in far-right attacks

ISD's Tim Squirrell featured in the VICE documentary 'The Replacement Conspiracy Inspired Mass Shootings'.

Far-Right Extremism, Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference, Hybrid Extremism and Nihilistic Violence

July 8, 2022

Vulnerabilities and red flags are crucial to the intervention of mass shootings

ISD's Head of Communications and Editorial Tim Squirrell spoke to NBC Chicago in the wake of the Highland Park shooting that left seven people dead.

Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference, Hybrid Extremism and Nihilistic Violence, Threat Analysis and Prevention

July 3, 2022

Aoife Gallagher: Social platforms lack the ‘will’ or ‘ability’ to tackle misinformation

ISD analyst Aoife Gallagher commented to The Independent about how current response efforts to misinformation are not enough. 

Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference, Information Warfare and Online Manipulation, Public Health

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