Centre for Information Resilience

Investigators at CIR's Myanmar Witness came across two posts on social media claiming to show an airstrike in Myanmar. Looking in more detail, they soon realised that something did not add up 👇

At CIR, we recognise the increased risks faced online by those working to expose human rights violations and disinformation. To address online harms and prevent vicarious trauma, we developed clear policies and published them as a free resource so they can be used by other civil society organisations, media outlets, private sector companies, and government departments. From our series on protecting researchers, sources and research subjects 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eE2eiDfc *Including CIR internal guidelines on handling traumatic content Supporting staff facing online abuse as a result of their work 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eVbkfZCk *Including CIR internal policy on online abuse, support mechanisms and guidance #disinformation #NoExcuse #16days

Research by CIR has shown how gendered disinformation is used by state and non-state actors to target female politicians, activists, journalists and publicly active women. Here's some of the examples our various projects have looked into over the past three years: 🔴 In 2021, online disinformation and abuse evolved into death threats for former Scottish MP Carol Monaghan, prompting her to move to a safe house. 🔴 In 2023, Kremlin-affiliated media outlets disseminated a manipulated image of Annalena Baerbock, Germany’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, with false claims and insinuations. 🔴 In the US, within hours of President Biden’s presidential endorsement of Kamala Harris, PeakMetrics reported that over 11% of mentions of Harris on X included criticisms of her race or gender. These kinds of misleading and false allegations are disproportionately used to silence and repress marginalised groups and communities. There is a very real danger that the repression of marginalised groups in any given society quickly becomes or forever stays normalised. This is because the difference in outcomes that can be achieved by empowering those who are silenced and repressed is never noticed or acknowledged, because without active monitoring, it is difficult to measure what is missed, what contributions are not being made, what voices have been silenced. Read more (4 mins): https://lnkd.in/edjVD8W6 #disinformation #NoExcuse #16days

🧩 Do you see patterns where others see noise? Are you based in Sub-Saharan Africa? Apply now to become a CIR investigator! You'll dive into data to identify trends, collaborate with CIR Global Resilience Network, and produce impactful research. 🔴 Deadline: 29 November ⚫ Contract length: ASAP until end of March 2025 Looking for something different? Subscribe to our job updates here: https://lnkd.in/eiddAv7x #osintjobs #investigator #hiring #JobSearch

🚨 Fighting back against misogyny in Ethiopia CIR found that Ethiopian women and girls are being silenced in online spaces, shamed into not using social media at all, and threatened if they do. They face pervasive misogynistic abuse, violent and sexual threats, physical attacks, gendered hate speech, disinformation, and doxing. CIR’s research has exposed endemic abuse targeting women and girls through interviews and studies of hate speech. Alongside the Ethiopian Human Rights Defenders Center, CIR brought together leading CSOs, human rights experts, and members of the public for a conference in Addis Ababa, sparking widespread public discussions of the topic in on prime-time TV slots, in media outlets and across other public forums. By working with CSOs, CIR develops practical recommendations to make digital spaces safer for women and girls in Ethiopia. To learn more visit https://lnkd.in/eQjAzZWf #NoExcuse #NoMore #EndGBV #16days

In a new documentary by #EyesOnRussia, we show how glide bombs are being used in civilian areas in Ukraine, resulting in an increase in civilian deaths. Watch it here: https://lnkd.in/egkvymvz #Ukraine #Russia

As personal and public lives are increasingly played out on the internet and through social media, a new frontier in the fight against gender-based violence (GBV) has emerged. Exposing and combating online behaviour harmful to women and girls is core to CIR’s mission. For the 16 days of activism against GBV, CIR will spotlight its initiatives that reveal the online harms women and girls face. Combatting GBV is an essential part of better protecting women and girls online and empowering their safe and meaningful participation in all forms of public life. #NoExcuse #EndGBV #16days

🚨 Interested in working in OSINT? CIR is looking for a project manager, who will play a key role in managing the delivery of open source research projects. Read more about the role and how to apply here: https://lnkd.in/dPyAXMx7 Closing date: 8 December 🔎 Not a role for you? Explore our open roles here: info-res.org/joinourteam #projectmanager #osintjobs #hiring #JobSearch

Proving atrocity crimes is difficult... But OSR4Rights is fighting for open source to be adopted more widely by investigators and lawyers and appropriately valued as evidence in the legal process - which could prove vital to many prosecutions. Congratulations to OSR4Rights on winning the Outstanding International Impact prize at the ESRC: Economic and Social Research Council's Celebrating Impact awards. To see all the creative ways they are trying to tackle the problem, watch more about their winning entry here: https://lnkd.in/euQR23vZ

In a new documentary by #EyesOnRussia, we show how glide bombs are being used in civilian areas in Ukraine, resulting in an increase in civilian deaths. Watch it here: https://lnkd.in/egkvymvz #Ukraine #Russia