Other research

Roska Bridge: pro-Russian IMS exploits decentralised platforms

Uncovered a Russian IMS using the Brid.gy service to auto-cross-post from hundreds of Mastodon accounts to Bluesky, laundering sanctioned RT/Sputnik/Pravda content via decentralised platforms' weak moderation.

Noise without effect: anti-Pashinyan disinformation ahead of Armenian elections

Monitoring ahead of Armenian elections found foreign manipulation targeting PM Pashinyan; French TikTok users searching his name saw mostly hostile, partly AI-generated content from Kremlin-, diaspora- and Azerbaijan-linked accounts.

Amplifying Antisemitism: How Recommender Algorithms Serve Harmful Content to Children

Using 10 simulated 15-year-old accounts (5,500+ videos), teens were exposed to antisemitic content within hours; TikTok pathways escalate from mainstream to neo-Nazi content while Rumble surfaced overt antisemitism from the outset.

Sexualized images on X: what we are doing to stop them and what we expect from the EU

Documented networks of X accounts openly promoting non-consensual 'nudify' tools; a reported post was deemed non-violating, and X refused a DSA Art. 40.12 data request, blocking research (context to the EU's DSA fine on X).

TikTok unlawfully tracks your shopping habits – and your use of dating apps

A user discovered TikTok knew he had used the gay dating app Grindr and what he did there, data likely passed via AppsFlyer, an intermediary. TikTok also gave only an incomplete, hard-to-parse response to his GDPR access request across multiple attempts. noyb argues neither AppsFlyer nor Grindr had a valid legal basis under Article 6(1) or Article 9(1) GDPR to share this special-category data with TikTok.

Mapping algorithmic amplification: transparency challenges and lessons from Germany

Examines transparency challenges in studying algorithmic amplification, drawing lessons from the German context.

Operation Overload: an AI-fuelled escalation ('Overload 2')

The operation escalated using AI-generated content; Telegram is the central hub (673 channels) while ~11,000 X accounts amplify it. TikTok demoted accounts only after 3M+ views.

Report on the 45th Canadian General Election

Monitoring of Canada's April 2025 federal election found election-themed scam ads widespread on Meta and X, CCP-aligned narratives circulating on Chinese-language platforms, and TikTok's feed favouring US content despite majority-Canadian creators; the report calls for stronger researcher data access.

'Pravda' Network: Worldwide Expansion and LLM/Wikipedia Pollution

With DFRLab, showed the Russian 'Pravda' network expanded globally and polluted LLMs and Wikipedia; X's Community Notes failed to address its spread.

TikTok, AliExpress, SHEIN & Co surrender Europeans’ data to authoritarian China

Six complaints filed in five European countries allege TikTok, AliExpress, SHEIN, Temu, WeChat and Xiaomi unlawfully transfer EU users’ personal data to China, which lacks an EU adequacy decision. Four of the six openly admit transfers to China in their privacy policies; two only reference undisclosed ‘third countries.’ None adequately answered users’ Article 15 access requests.

Behind the Curtain: Unveiling Pro-Kremlin Ecosystems in Europe

Maps pro-Kremlin information ecosystems operating across European social media and web infrastructure, detailing coordinated influence and foreign interference tactics.

The 2025 RDR Index: Big Tech Edition

Seventh edition (first full evaluation since 2022): no company scored over 50%; TikTok debuted strongly while X showed RDR's largest-ever single-company decline after cutting its human rights team and transparency reporting.

Real Time Threats: CSEA Prevention on Livestreaming Platforms

Finds real-time/ephemeral video creates distinct detection and enforcement challenges for child sexual exploitation prevention that existing moderation tooling is poorly equipped to handle.

Online Safety and the Regulation of Gaming Platforms and Services

Examines extremism and safety risks on gaming platforms and services and the regulatory gaps in addressing them.

Public Data Access Programs: A First Look

First systematic evaluation of 19 platforms' researcher data-access programs; access varies widely and data quality is poor.

Full Disclosure: Stress Testing Tech Platforms' Ad Repositories

With CheckFirst: tested ad-transparency tools of 11 companies; none rated 'ready,' with major data gaps and inaccuracies.

When Kindness Kills: How Algorithms Accelerate Savior Swarms

Introduces 'savior swarming,' algorithmically amplified surges of well-intentioned collective action that overwhelm and harm the communities they aim to help (cases: Twitter trending, r/BlackPeopleTwitter).