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:
Topline: Partisans Seize on Election Interference Claims
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.
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Topline: Right-Wing Accounts Accuse Democrats of Stoking Anti-Trump Violence
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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Topline: Overhyped and Misleading Claims of a ‘Tren de Aragua’ Criminal Influx in Aurora, CO Fuel Anti-Immigrant Sentiments
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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.
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