Item
Computational Propaganda in Ukraine: Caught Between External Threats and Internal Challenges
- Author
- Mariia Zhdanova, Dariya Orlova
- Year
- 2017
- Publisher
- Computational Propaganda Research Project
- DOI/Link
- View Source
- Abstract
-
This working paper examines the state of computational propaganda in Ukraine, focusing on two
major dimensions, Ukraine’s response to the challenges of external information attacks and the
use of computational propaganda in internal political communication. Based on interviews with
Ukrainian media experts, academics, industry insiders and bot developers, the working paper
explores the scale of the issue and identifies the most common tactics, instruments and approaches
for the deployment of political bots online. The cases described illustrate the misconceptions about
fake accounts, paid online commentators and automated scripts, as well as the threats of
malicious online activities. First, we explain how bots operate in the internal political and media
environment of the country and provide examples of typical campaigns. Second, we analyse the
case of the MH17 tragedy as an illustrative example of Russia’s purposeful disinformation
campaign against Ukraine, which has a distinctive social media component. Finally, responses to
computational propaganda are scrutinized, including alleged governmental attacks on Ukrainian
journalists, which reveal that civil society and grassroots movements have great potential to stand
up to the perils of computational propaganda.