The article discusses the critical role of investigating Coordinated Inauthentic Behaviour (CIB) in modern journalism, focusing on the manipulation of online discourse by botnets and troll farms. It offers a tutorial that outlines an OSINT framework to identify and analyze these influence operations, which often involve state-sponsored and commercial entities employing synthetic amplification to create the illusion of popular support for false narratives.
Key tasks for journalists include distinguishing between fake grassroots activities (astroturfing) and authentic public opinion. The article emphasizes the importance of accurate reporting to uphold the integrity of the public record and avoid disseminating misleading information. The tutorial teaches users to break down CIB into components—Actors, Content, and Behaviour—and formulate advanced queries for platforms like X/Twitter and Reddit.
Essential skills include utilizing Social Network Analysis (SNA) to map networks of amplifier accounts, preserving digital evidence, and ethically applying AI tools for data summarization. The investigative goal is to uncover coordinated social media campaigns, using technical data and corroborative methods to attribute these efforts to their sources, such as troll farms.
A crucial aspect of the tutorial is the emphasis on ethical considerations, particularly the “stop at the login” rule, ensuring data is publicly available and unauthorized access is avoided. Legal risks, including the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), necessitate careful adherence to a Chain of Custody protocol for evidence collection.
The article advises on utilizing SNA tools to identify account clusters exhibiting coordinated behavior, while also stressing the importance of corroborating findings through both technical and behavioral analysis. Overall, the tutorial aims to equip journalists with the skills to expertly uncover and report on CIB, while navigating ethical and legal complexities inherent in the digital landscape.
