Welcome to REDESCover, an initiative by DDIA to track and analyze false and misleading narratives and other digital threats emerging within Latino communities on social media and messaging apps.

This newsletter highlights misinformation, propaganda, and hyper-partisan narratives and inauthentic behavior breaking out in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X (formerly Twitter), and TikTok, with a special section on WhatsApp and Telegram.

Beginning October 2, 2024, REDESCover will provide weekly, rather than bi-weekly, updates of the discussions surrounding the U.S. presidential election. Sign up to receive these in your inbox.

Please note: REDESCover editions are listed below in reverse chronological order, with the most recent version of the newsletter appearing at the top.

Past Editions:

Oct 2, 2024 - Edition 22

Topline: Partisans Seize on Election Interference Claims

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Other narratives and claims covered:

  • Anti-Immigration Accounts Ramp Up Claims of Migrant-Led Crime, Social Decay

  • VP Debate Sparks Limited Narratives in Latino Spaces Online

  • WhatsApp Watch: Trump’s Deportation Threat Sparks Fear in Latino WhatsApp Groups, Legal Ads Surge

Read the complete edition here.

Sign up to receive the next REDESCover here.


Sep 18, 2024 - Edition 21

Topline: Right-Wing Accounts Accuse Democrats of Stoking Anti-Trump Violence

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Other narratives and claims covered:

  • Haitian Migrants Become Center of False, Misleading Anti-Immigrant Narratives

  • Disinformation Linking Kamala Harris and Her Economic Policies with Communism Gained Traction in Spanish-Language WhatsApp Groups Post-Debate

Read the complete edition here.

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Sep 5, 2024 - Edition 20

Topline: Overhyped and Misleading Claims of a ‘Tren de Aragua’ Criminal Influx in Aurora, CO Fuel Anti-Immigrant Sentiments

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Other narratives and claims covered:

  • Latino Influencers and Journalists Accuse Biden Administration of Censoring Free Speech

  • Latino Influencers and Right-Wing Media Amplify Misleading Attacks on Kamala Harris

  • Videos Fuel Panic Over Venezuelan Gang in Colorado, Spreading Anti-Immigrant Narratives on Spanish-Speaking Telegram Channels

Read the complete edition here.

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Aug 21, 2024 - Edition 19

Topline: Hyper-Partisans React to the Democratic National Convention

Other narratives and claims covered:

  • Attacks on Vice President Kamala Harris Persist

  • Over Half a Million Spanish Speakers Targeted by Mpox Misinformation: Watch for Emerging Links to Election Fraud

Read the complete edition here.

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Aug 7, 2024 - Edition 18

Topline: Hyper-Partisan Attacks on Vice President Kamala Harris Persist

Other narratives and claims covered:

  • Conversations About Kamala Harris Selecting Tim Walz as Her Vice Presidential Candidate are Limited in Latino Spaces Online

  • Gender-Identity Attacks Blow Up After Olympic Boxing Match

  • Messages on Venezuela-Based WhatsApp Public Groups Reveal Emotional Strain of July 28 Presidential Elections

Read the complete edition here.

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Jul 24, 2024 - Edition 17

Topline: Outrage and Conspiracy Theories Spark Over Biden's 2024 Election Withdrawal

Other narratives and claims covered:

  • Conspiracy Theorists, Hyper-Partisan Accounts Aim Attacks at Vice President Kamala Harris

  • Faith and Politics Intersect: Trump’s Shooting Spurs Surge in Religious Messaging Among Spanish-Speakers

Read the complete edition here.

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Jul 10, 2024 - Edition 16

Topline: President Biden’s Physical and Mental Fitness Continues to be Questioned

Other narratives and claims covered:

  • False and Hateful Content Emerges From the Aftermath of the French Elections

  • Disinformation Campaigns Spread Baseless Attacks Against Michelle Obama (Again) in Spanish-speaking Spaces Online and in Messaging Apps

Read the complete edition here.

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Jun 26, 2024 - Edition 15

Topline: Anti-Immigrant Accounts Frame Immigration as a Crisis of Crime

Other narratives and claims covered:

  • Partisan Accounts Amplify Misleading Claims Ahead of Presidential Debate

  • Far-Right Users and Russian News Outlets Frame Trump as a Pacifist and Biden as a Warmonger in Spanish-Speaking Public Telegram Channels

Read the complete edition here.

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Jun 12, 2024 - Edition 14

Topline: Mexican Election Prompts Familiar Claims of Election Fraud

Other narratives and claims covered:

  • Hunter Biden’s Guilty Verdict Sparks Claims of Corruption

  • Anti-LGBTQ+ Accounts Lambast Pride Month

Read the complete edition here.

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May 29, 2024 - Edition 13

Topline: Pro-Trump Supporters Continue to Decry Trump’s Criminal Trial as “Political Persecution”

Other narratives and claims covered:

  • Death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi Ignites Conspiratorial Claims

  • Right-Wing Accounts Continue to Blame Inflation and the Economy on President Biden

Read the complete edition here.

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May 15, 2024 - Edition 12

Topline: Right-Wing Accounts Rehash Anti-LGBTQ+ and Indoctrination Narratives

Other narratives and claims covered:

  • Vaccine Misinformation Resurges Following AstraZeneca's Withdrawal of COVID-19 Vaccine

  • Partisan Accounts Continue to Decry Pro-Palestine Demonstrations

  • Misleading Narratives about Floods in Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul State Spread Across Latino Communities in at Least 13 U.S. States

Read the complete edition here.

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May 1, 2024 - Edition 11

Topline: Campus Protests Ignite Partisan Backlash

Other narratives and claims covered:

  • Pro-Trump Supporters Continue To Decry Trump’s Criminal Trial

  • Iran- and Russia-Backed Media Paint Biden Administration in Negative Light as Pro-Palestine Campus Demonstrations Grow

Read the complete edition here.

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Apr 17, 2024 - Edition 10

Topline: Trump Criminal Trial Sparks Right-Wing Backlash Centering U.S. Justice System

Other narratives and claims covered:

  • Fabricated Flier Calls on Migrants Crossing the Border To Vote For Biden

  • Iran’s Attack on Israel Sparks Claims of World War III Being Imminent

  • Disinformation Targets Abinader Campaign: False Narratives on Abortion and Anti-Haitianism Surge Ahead of Dominican Elections

Read the complete edition here.

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Apr 3, 2024 - Edition 9

Topline: Baltimore Key Bridge Collapse Fuels Conspiracy Theories

Other narratives and claims covered:

  • Transgender Day of Visibility Sparks Transphobia Narratives

  • Out-of-Context Videos About 'Cannibalism' in Haiti Feed Anti-Immigrant Narratives Among Latinos on WhatsApp and Telegram Channels

Read the complete edition here.

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Mar 20, 2024 - Edition 8

Topline: Anti-Immigrant Narratives Continue to Spread in Latino Spaces Online

Other narratives and claims covered:

  • Protests in Cuba Spark Anti-Communism Rhetoric

  • Transphobia Narratives Continue to Spread in Latino Spaces Online

  • Unconfirmed Claims about NATO Spread Among Latinos in Public WhatsApp and Telegram Channels

Read the complete edition here.

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Mar 3, 2024 - Edition 7

Topline : Anti-Immigrant Narratives Deepen Following Murder of Georgia Student

Other narratives and claims covered:

  • Tucker Carlson’s 2020 Election Comments Spark Voter Fraud Narratives

  • In the Lead Up to Super Tuesday, Bolsonaro and Milei Help Trump Set a Record in WhatsApp Mentions

Read the complete edition here.

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Feb 22, 2024 - Edition 6

Topline: Anti-LGBTQ+ Narratives Flourish in Latino Spaces Online

Other narratives and claims covered:

  • Tucker Carlson’s Interview with Putin Draws Partisan Praise and Sparks Pro-Kremlin Rhetoric

  • Right-Wing Accounts Continue to Criticize and Question Biden’s Cognitive Abilities

  • On our 100-Day Anniversary, DDIA Recaps How We Monitor WhatsApp and Telegram

Read the complete edition here.

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Feb 7, 2024 - Edition 5

Topline: Bukele’s Re-Election Draws Partisan Praise Across the Americas

Other narratives and claims covered:

  • Right-Wing Accounts Continue to Spread Anti-Immigrant Narratives and Conspiracies

  • Misleading and Graphic Videos Triple in Number on Latino Public Messaging Groups Amid Israel-Hamas War

Read the complete edition here.

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Jan 24, 2024 - Edition 4

Topline: Violent and Graphic Content Stemming from Ecuador’s Security Crisis Swarms Online Spaces

Other narratives and claims covered:

  • Putin’s False Claims About the 2020 U.S. Election Echoed by State-Controlled Media and Others

  • Argentina’s Javier Milei Criticizes 'Global Elites' and 'Socialism' at World Economic Forum, Drawing Partisan Praise

  • Noboa Supporters Mobilized on WhatsApp to Strengthen President's Campaign Against Organized Crime in Ecuador

Read the complete edition here.

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Jan 10, 2024 - Edition 3

Topline: Conspiracies Swirl in the Wake of the January 6th Anniversary

Other narratives and claims covered:

  • Pro-Trump Accounts Criticize Democrats After Colorado and Maine Bar Trump From Ballot

  • Unsealed Court Documents Reignite Epstein Conspiracies

  • False Claims of Biden Being Cited in Epstein Court Documents Circulate on Spanish-Language Messaging Apps

Read the complete edition here.

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Dec 15, 2023 - Edition 2

Topline: Russia’s State-Controlled Media Criticize The United States For Its Role In Israel And Ukraine

Other narratives and claims covered:

  • Praise For Argentina’s New President Javier Milei Following His Inauguration

  • Hyper-Partisan Accounts In Spain And The U.S. Continue To Push Anti-Immigrant Narratives Online

  • Pro-Bukele TikTok Videos Go Viral In U.S.-Based Latino WhatsApp Groups As He Campaigns For Reelection

Read the complete edition here.

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Dec 1, 2023 - Edition 1

Topline: Claims of Election Fraud and Doubt on the Integrity of Elections Arose in the Lead-Up to Argentina’s Presidential Election

Other narratives and claims covered:

  • Anti-Immigrant Narratives Flourish in the U.S. and Abroad

  • Conversations About the Israel-Hamas War Continue, Including Lambasting Supporters of Palestine

  • Pope Francis is Under Attack

Read the complete edition here.

Sign up to receive the next REDESCover here.