The hottest Disinformation Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics

Digital Fog

Doomberg • 6819 implied HN points • 13 Mar 26
🌍 World Politics Disinformation
  1. Viral videos and footage are often reused or misattributed during crises, so you can’t assume something is real just because it looks authentic or isn’t AI-made.
  2. Curating segmented social media feeds and even training a fresh account to follow one side’s sources helps reveal different narratives and spot disinformation.
  3. Comparing coverage across international outlets, including adversarial ones, uncovers details and biases that mainstream Western media may downplay or miss.

How Politicians Smear The World, Vol. 1: The Contract

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 5125 implied HN points • 19 Feb 26
🌍 World Politics Disinformation
  1. A party-linked think tank hired APCO to run an offensive campaign against reporters, using human intelligence, forensic accounting, media packaging, and “stakeholder outreach” to target their work and networks.
  2. The operation fed outlets and intelligence channels misleading claims and used legal and cyber scare tactics that caused papers to kill stories and left reporters facing lost work and investigations.
  3. Those methods mirror long-standing smear and reputation-management playbooks tied to Russia-scare tactics, revealing industry hypocrisy and prompting a government inquiry and calls for resignations.

The (possibly) coming AI backlash and information warfare

Marcus on AI • 7469 implied HN points • 06 Jan 26
🕹 Technology Disinformation
  1. The AI boom could unravel next year as costs, weak economics, and poor regulation make big AI projects look unprofitable and prompt political and industry backtracking.
  2. Generative AI is exceptionally good at patient, amoral mimicry, making it a powerful tool for producing mis- and disinformation at scale.
  3. That surge in synthetic misinformation will erode public trust and create a fog of war where false pretexts can start or escalate conflicts and sow widespread chaos.

Tucker, Candace, and the Conspiracy-Theory Podcast Grift

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 1075 implied HN points • 25 Feb 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Disinformation
  1. Conspiracy content reaches massive audiences online, with modern series pulling in millions of views the way early viral films once did.
  2. Top creators have turned that attention into big money — ad reads can cost tens of thousands and CPMs plus guaranteed impressions make this a lucrative business.
  3. The clear financial upside creates an incentive to stoke anger and spread antisemitic or other harmful conspiracies, turning disinformation into a profitable grift.

Inside the Online Anti-Indian Hate Factory

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 222 implied HN points • 10 Mar 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Disinformation
  1. There has been a big spike in anti-Indian rhetoric online, with a study finding around 24,000 posts that were viewed over 300 million times.
  2. High-profile moments—like naming an Indian-born tech leader to a senior AI role—prompted immediate racist attacks, showing that visible Indian and Indian-American figures are frequent targets.
  3. Much of the abuse is driven and amplified by organized parts of the online right, spreading quickly on social platforms and shaping political conversations.
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:

Brits Spied on Me, According to Memo Marked “STRICTLY PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL”

The DisInformation Chronicle • 625 implied HN points • 19 Feb 26
🌍 World Politics Disinformation
  1. Labour Party operatives hired a PR firm to investigate several journalists, sparking a political scandal that led to a resignation and a formal government inquiry.
  2. The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) was a small UK-based group tied to Labour Together and British political operatives, yet it gained outsized influence in U.S. media and government through opaque relationships and funding.
  3. Investigative reporting and leaked internal documents, aided by a whistleblower, triggered official actions including deportation proceedings and raised fresh concerns about cross-border influence and attempts to shape or censor public discourse.

The problem with Tucker

Michael Tracey • 152 implied HN points • 13 Mar 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Disinformation
  1. Urging prayer instead of concrete political or civic action encourages passivity and weakens efforts to address real crises.
  2. Publicly allying with a powerful politician erodes independent scrutiny, leading to blame-shifting onto others rather than holding that leader accountable.
  3. Spreading conspiratorial, evidence-light theories degrades public reasoning and diverts attention from practical responses, which is especially dangerous during an active war.

Is Germany Previewing America's Speech Future?

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 4539 implied HN points • 06 Dec 25
🌍 World Politics Disinformation
  1. German authorities are increasingly policing speech aggressively, using raids, fines, and criminal charges even for satire or criticism.
  2. A large censorship industry of NGOs, academics, contractors, and state bodies is monitoring and scoring content, with hundreds or even thousands of groups and grants shaping what gets flagged or removed.
  3. The overlap of police, private groups, and bureaucracies — plus invasive scanning of communications — creates a whole-of-society censorship model that risks spreading and chilling dissent beyond Europe.

Google suspends ad account linked to Atlanta influencer which was used to recruit Iranian agents for the Mossad

All-Source Intelligence Fusion • 1566 implied HN points • 20 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics Disinformation
  1. Google suspended the verified ad account tied to Desi Banks Productions LLC and removed the Mossad recruitment ads for violating its advertising policies.
  2. The ads were part of an international campaign linked to the 'Blue Message' network that used deceptive bait-and-switch tactics and targeted family members of Iranian officials, LGBTQ Iranians, and people across multiple countries to recruit Mossad assets.
  3. Desi Banks denied knowledge of the ads while independent investigations showed the campaign operated across Telegram, X, and Google Forms and used AI-generated and misleading content.

Candace Owens, Real Conspiracy Theorist, Not "Performance Artist"

Default Wisdom • 210 implied HN points • 03 Mar 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Disinformation
  1. American conspiracy culture is a distinct tradition with its own media, communities, and an epistemology that tells people to ‘do your own research,’ and that worldview becomes hard to control once it becomes the language of state power.
  2. The culture runs in three modes — method (deep, obsessive investigation), spectacle (performative, attention-driven shows), and costume (influencers who borrow the look without the epistemology) — and the attention economy pushes everyone toward hotter, more sensational content.
  3. Policing or disciplining insiders often backfires because punishment confirms the movement’s basic suspicion that authorities hide the truth, so speakers are judged more by whom and when they accuse than by the content of their claims.

The Censorship Industrial Complex's Power Grip in Germany

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 4064 implied HN points • 24 Nov 25
🌍 World Politics Disinformation
  1. Germany has an extensive, mostly government-funded network of organizations and grants that monitor and control online content, involving hundreds of groups and millions in public funding.
  2. Government-certified "trusted flaggers" and funded NGOs actively report and push for removal of speech, sometimes triggering police action or prosecutions for insults or dissenting views.
  3. The combined effect is a chilling atmosphere where many people avoid expressing political opinions and public debate is narrowed, with high-profile firings and raids showing real consequences.

How The Trump Administration Weaponized Antifa

Weaponized • 36 implied HN points • 16 Mar 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Disinformation
  1. Federal prosecutors secured the first terrorism convictions tied to "antifa" by portraying anti-ICE protesters as an organized terrorist cell and citing black clothing, magazines, and encrypted messages as key evidence.
  2. The Trump administration and allied right-wing media ran a years-long disinformation effort that manufactured "antifa" as a boogeyman to justify criminalizing left-wing protests and harsher crackdowns.
  3. "Antifa" is a loose collection of tactics and ideologies, not a formal organization, so labeling it a terrorist group mischaracterizes protest activity and enables political prosecutions.

How Tehran Whitewashes Its Crimes Abroad

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 268 implied HN points • 22 Feb 26
🌍 World Politics Disinformation
  1. Iran’s security forces carried out a brutal, deadly crackdown on widespread protests. This repression occurred alongside a deliberate effort to crush dissent on the ground.
  2. The government seeded social media and state outlets with a narrative that the protests were the work of foreign intelligence like the CIA and Mossad. That messaging was used to justify the crackdown and paint protesters as foreign agents.
  3. The information campaign wasn’t just for domestic audiences but aimed at international allies and global conversations to whitewash the killings and shape foreign opinion. The regime pushed propaganda abroad to deflect blame and discredit dissidents.

The US was always the Weakest Western Country

Erik Examines • 1702 implied HN points • 27 Dec 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Disinformation
  1. Having the best weapons doesn’t make a country strong if its government, institutions, and media are corrupt or weak.
  2. A capitalist system that lets money buy politics and media makes the country vulnerable to foreign influence and exploitation.
  3. Propaganda and social media can seize a nation without firing a shot, so rebuilding strength requires removing money from politics, enforcing transparency, and supporting public or non-profit media.

Israel expanded propaganda contract with Trump's former campaign manager

All-Source Intelligence Fusion • 1139 implied HN points • 07 Jan 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Disinformation
  1. Brad Parscale’s firm Clock Tower X expanded a U.S. propaganda contract for the Israeli government to $9 million and is working through intermediaries like HAVAS.
  2. The operation runs at least nine branded websites and channels to push pro‑Israel messaging across culture, economics, technology, and 'fact‑checking,' and it even targets AI/GPT framing.
  3. Some brands carry aggressive information‑warfare tactics—targeting Christian audiences, trying to influence Wikipedia, and amplifying content on platforms like YouTube—while disclosing distribution by Clock Tower X for the State of Israel.

No One Can Tell What’s Real Anymore

Weaponized • 14 implied HN points • 18 Mar 26
🕹 Technology Disinformation
  1. There is no universally accepted, reliable way to tell if an image or video was made by AI, whether you're a member of the public, a journalist, or an engineer.
  2. Verification today uses a mix of methods—watermarks, detectable artifacts, provenance checks—but each method only works sometimes and leaves big gaps.
  3. Those gaps create a gray zone where uncertain content can linger and allow disinformation to spread easily.

Ah, Good Old War Propaganda

Caitlin’s Newsletter • 2291 implied HN points • 02 Dec 25
🌍 World Politics Disinformation
  1. Major media outlets often manufacture consent for imperial agendas, shaping stories to justify wars and demonize targeted leaders rather than simply inform the public.
  2. Narrative control is systemic and deliberate: owners, state broadcasters, think tanks, algorithms and billionaire-backed tech shape what people see to protect the imperial status quo.
  3. The antidote is grassroots action—expose propaganda, promote media literacy, and help others recognize manipulation so truth can challenge the existing power structure.

Coleman Hughes: How Nick Fuentes Does It

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 2267 implied HN points • 01 Dec 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Disinformation
  1. He presents a toned-down version of himself to mainstream hosts while keeping a much more extreme persona for his core supporters.
  2. Over time he shifted from mainstream conservative views to openly embracing bigotry, antisemitism, and admiration for authoritarian figures.
  3. Attempts to marginalize or censor him have often backfired and increased his visibility, letting him grow from a small podcast to a wider cultural influence.

Debating Russiagate With Michael Isikoff

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 8708 implied HN points • 22 Jul 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Disinformation
  1. There was a debate about Tulsi Gabbard's claims regarding Trump and Russia, highlighting the confusion in media narratives. It showcased how differing opinions can clash in public discussions.
  2. Michael Isikoff faced criticism for his past work related to the Steele dossier, raising questions about credibility in journalism. It's important to hold journalists accountable for their roles in shaping significant stories.
  3. The ongoing discussion about Russiagate shows that many people are still passionate about the topic. This suggests that public interest in these issues hasn't waned and will continue to spark heated debates.

Past the breaking point

Can We Still Govern? • 569 implied HN points • 23 Jan 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Disinformation
  1. Immigration and border agencies are being used like a paramilitary force to intimidate and control politically targeted cities, and their deployments serve as training grounds for tactics that could be copied elsewhere.
  2. Quotas, rewards, and a culture that shields agents have normalized constitutional violations and abusive practices, producing wrongful raids, arrests, and violence with little real accountability.
  3. Oversight and truth are being undermined through intimidation, blocked investigations, and even doctored images, though local communities have shown resilience and solidarity in resisting the occupation.

Dissecting A Modern Vaccine Propaganda Piece

The Forgotten Side of Medicine • 8824 implied HN points • 12 Jan 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Disinformation
  1. The author dissects a modern vaccine propaganda piece and reveals tactics used to defend unchallenged arguments.
  2. Peter Hotez is highlighted as drawing the ire of the vaccine safety community by defending the vaccine narrative and attacking critics.
  3. Hotez's suggestions to silence opposition and his rhetoric are critiqued for their implications on free speech and public debate.

Trump Helps Putin Kill Ukrainians: A Case Study

Phillips’s Newsletter • 329 implied HN points • 03 Feb 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Disinformation
  1. Russia launched a massive missile and drone strike targeting Ukraine’s power and heating systems during an extreme cold snap, a deliberate move to maximize civilian suffering.
  2. The U.S. president publicly claimed he had secured a week-long pledge from Putin not to strike energy targets, but strikes continued, which undermines that claim and spread misleading information that aided Russia.
  3. There is urgent pressure for the U.S. to impose sanctions and restart military aid to Ukraine, since inaction or the spread of disinformation enables further attacks on civilians.

America's Smear Machine Put on Trial

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 9288 implied HN points • 03 Feb 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Disinformation
  1. Recent confirmation hearings have highlighted ongoing divisions in American politics, especially around figures like Tulsi Gabbard and Kash Patel. It seems like we're stuck in a long battle between different political sides.
  2. The questioning style during these hearings has drawn comparisons to historical practices like those from the House Un-American Activities Committee. Many people are worried we're entering a similar era of political scrutiny and accusations.
  3. The accusations against Gabbard, Patel, and others have roots going back several years and involve claims of Russian influence. These claims have been linked to the same questionable sources, raising concerns about their validity.

State Department Defies Congress, Revives Infamous Censorship Office in Absurd Prank

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 9420 implied HN points • 10 Jan 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Disinformation
  1. The State Department has reopened a controversial office that was previously shut down, which aims to monitor and respond to foreign disinformation efforts. This move has raised concerns about censorship and government overreach.
  2. This new office, named the Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference Hub, is expected to have a similar mission to its predecessor, despite Congressional efforts to stop it. It signals ongoing government attempts to control information.
  3. Critics worry that the revival of this censorship office reflects a lack of accountability and transparency in government actions. Many believe it poses a threat to free speech and independent journalism.

Head of Infamous "Information Disorder" Commission Promoted at NPR

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 7954 implied HN points • 14 Jan 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Disinformation
  1. Ryan Merkley, known for his work on misinformation, has been named COO of NPR. His past roles include leading an Aspen Institute group focused on information control.
  2. The Aspen Institute's 'Information Disorder' Commission proposed strict measures against misinformation, aiming for accountability on tech platforms. Some recommendations were seen as extreme and provoked resignations.
  3. NPR has a history of aligning with the ideas promoted by the Aspen Institute, raising concerns about how it approaches controversial topics like misinformation and censorship.

DisInformation Chronicle Podcast with State Undersecretary Sarah Rogers

The DisInformation Chronicle • 200 implied HN points • 15 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics Disinformation
  1. The State Department has used visa revocations against five people accused of censoring, demonetizing, or suppressing American viewpoints, signaling a new tool to push back on foreign censorship.
  2. The conversation covered wide free-speech concerns across the U.S. and Europe — including fact-checking, debanking, censorship trends, and how diplomacy can respond to information control.
  3. The podcast will publish interview clips, invite listener suggestions and guests, and encourages subscriptions as it follows next steps and evolving norms for free speech.

Living in the Lie

Unpopular Front • 243 implied HN points • 08 Jan 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Disinformation
  1. Endless public lying and the pressure to pretend it’s true are deeply demoralizing and can be more oppressive than overt terror.
  2. Small, persistent acts of living in the truth—like self‑organized groups or local associations—can build an independent social sphere that undermines attempts to atomize society.
  3. Avoid getting stuck in propaganda spaces when you don’t have to and instead seek or create other forums where people meet and act together, because voluntary associations turn isolated individuals into a visible, shared power.

The Unmasking of the Foreign Slop Accounts

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 658 implied HN points • 24 Nov 25
🕹 Technology Disinformation
  1. X now shows the country a user is posting from, which exposed that many accounts that seem American are actually based overseas.
  2. A lot of accounts pushing American cultural or political content — including influential meme and fan pages — are run from other countries, sometimes in low-income regions and with large followings.
  3. Displaying location is a helpful transparency step, but it isn’t enough by itself to verify authenticity or prevent foreign influence and coordinated manipulation on the platform.

The Powers That Were

Breaking the News • 1859 implied HN points • 01 Aug 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Disinformation
  1. American institutions are important for protecting people's rights and need support, especially in challenging times. It's about strengthening what helps us as a society.
  2. There are major issues like misinformation, leadership troubles, and cultural conflicts affecting governance today. These problems point to weaknesses in our political system.
  3. Media institutions that once held significant power and influence are now struggling, illustrating how quickly strong organizations can decline and the importance of their role in democracy.

Uh, Oh, Again: Homeland Security Role in Bizarre Election Day "Tabletop Exercise" Denied

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 7968 implied HN points • 29 Oct 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Disinformation
  1. The Department of Homeland Security's role in a planned cybersecurity exercise on Election Day was denied, creating confusion about their involvement.
  2. Senator Rand Paul raised concerns about the timing of the exercise, questioning why officials would practice cybersecurity on such an important day for elections.
  3. The situation escalated when organizers of the event retracted their statements about DHS/CISA's participation, leading to speculation and fears about election integrity.

Moscow Marjorie

Diane Francis • 1119 implied HN points • 18 Apr 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Disinformation
  1. Russia is spreading misinformation and trying to weaken democracies around the world. This includes spying and undercover operations in Europe and the US.
  2. Donald Trump and Marjorie Taylor Greene are seen as supporters of Russia, often sharing ideas that align with Russian narratives.
  3. There are concerns about Trump's demand to limit the FISA Act, which helps protect the US from foreign threats, despite warnings from former officials about the risks.

Israel Attacked: Pushing Back on Right Wing Disinfo

The Message Box • 3793 implied HN points • 09 Oct 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Disinformation
  1. Fast-moving events are fertile ground for disinformation, especially when shared without context or confirmation.
  2. The claim that the U.S. funded the attack in Iran is false; the unfrozen funds were for humanitarian assistance only.
  3. Claims circulating that U.S. weapons were used in the attack are also false; the photo shared is from 2021 in Afghanistan, not Israel.

February 26, 2026

Letters from an American • 28 implied HN points • 27 Feb 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Disinformation
  1. The administration is in overt campaign mode, using claims of widespread immigrant fraud and withholding federal funds to punish blue states and shift attention away from policy choices that shortened Medicare and Social Security solvency.
  2. High‑profile investigations and depositions around Epstein and related records have exposed possible DOJ withholding of documents and raised serious concerns about political interference and cover‑ups involving powerful figures.
  3. Democratic norms and civil rights are under pressure, with efforts to centralize control over elections, new laws invalidating transgender IDs, and dangerous Border Patrol practices that demonstrate an erosion of protections for vulnerable people.

Transcript - America This Week, August 8, 2025: "The AI Invasion: Why the Media Won't Correct Itself"

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 1319 implied HN points • 09 Aug 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Disinformation
  1. Journalism is shifting from finding the truth to just influencing people. Now, it's more about how powerful your message is than how accurate it is.
  2. AI is changing how we understand and spread information. It's not about what is true anymore; it's about what gets shared the most.
  3. Even if reporters used to be trusted, now their old reputations can let them get away with spreading false information without correction.