Articles

A CIR investigation into Telegram's "nudification" bots found that they are only the visible layer of a wider, commercially organised abuse economy that allow operators to rebuild the moment a single bot is removed.

From AI-generated videos imagining London “taken over” by immigrant communities, to TikTok videos depicting a walk through central London requiring military-style gear, CIR has documented a wave of online disinformation portraying London as a city “in decline”. The content collected spans five platforms, overlaps with far-right extremist ideology, and is reaching international audiences.

Online abuse moves fast and too often, bystanders don’t know how to respond. To mark International Women’s Day, CIR introduces The Six R’s of Digital Bystander Intervention, a practical framework that helps turn uncertainty into action and empowers users to challenge harm safely in digital spaces.

CIR identified a surge in pro-Islamic State (IS) activity on Facebook following the Syrian government takeover of Al-Hol detention camp in late January, with posts spreading propaganda and coordinating logistical and financial support for detainee escapes.

As Grok’s AI image tool is used at scale to generate abusive content, a rapid analysis by CIR investigators draws out five emerging lessons for platforms, regulators and policymakers. Based on a review of over 1,600 abusive prompts, the findings highlight how even basic safeguards can have a substantive effect in limiting the ease, scale and severity of abuse.

Working to make ethical, secure, and survivor-centred approaches central to OSINT investigations into gender-based violence.

With international media unable to report on the ground from Iran, social media and other open sources provide critical insight into the unfolding situation – but AI images and misinformation are also widespread.

Russia has occupied parts of Ukraine for over ten years. CIR and Detector Media explore the tactics used by the occupying authorities to mobilise and recruit.

In March 2025, a wave of extreme violence and revenge killings swept through Alawite strongholds of Syria. Unarmed civilians, including women and children, were among the victims.

Designed as a resource for researchers, journalists, and the public, the new hub aims to raise awareness and increase access to gender-focused, open source research on a range of countries and contexts.

Videos shared on social media can provide vital evidence for open source investigators, but a clampdown on filming in some conflicts has resulted in less user-generated content surfacing. CIR explores the consequences.

In partnership with CIR, Croatian researchers have uncovered indications of a pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign utilising a large bot network ahead of the presidential run-off in Croatia.