This Week In Disinformation
14 - 20 June 2025
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This week in disinformation has the battle for truth raged on multiple fronts, from AI-generated deepfakes distorting a volatile conflict between Iran and Israel, to false narratives linking Los Angeles protests to foreign political agendas, and outright fabrications about border skirmishes between Thailand and Cambodia.
They are campaigns designed to manipulate public perception, inflame tensions, and erode trust.
The stakes are immense, impacting international stability, community cohesion, and our fundamental ability to discern reality in a rapidly shifting digital world.
State-Sponsored Disinformation From Both Iran and Israel
◾ 1. Context
Concurrent with direct military hostilities in mid-June 2025, official state channels from Iran and Israel engaged in a parallel information war.
This environment, characterized by a volatile "fog of war," was exploited by the belligerents using state media and affiliated proxies to manipulate strategic narratives.
◾ 2. What Happened
Following the strikes, both states disseminated fraudulent visuals.
Iran circulated AI-generated videos of destruction while some official Israeli accounts posted decontextualized, older footage to claim new successes.
This content was systematically amplified across X and Telegram by bot networks, rapidly polluting the information space and reaching millions.
◾ 3. Nature of Information
The material is Disinformation, as it was intentionally fabricated to deceive audiences for the purpose of psychological warfare and narrative control.
Confidence in this assessment is High, corroborated by forensic analysis from multiple independent fact-checking organizations. Furthermore, the quality of AI generated material is also so heavily mocked that both sides are now targets of satire.
◾ 4. Character of Information
The campaign utilized platforms like X and Telegram, deploying emotionally manipulative tactics such as AI-generated imagery and misattributed footage.
Evidence indicated coordinated amplification via state-controlled accounts and botnets to ensure narrative dominance.
◾ 5. Impact & Information Effects Statement
This campaign significantly degraded the information environment, eroding public trust and increasing the risk of strategic miscalculation by distorting battlefield realities for a global audience.
It is also difficult to assess what the end state of this information war would be. Since both sides are posting, correcting, and manipulating, it is difficult to assess what the overarching strategy is, if there is any.
It is assessed with high confidence that both Iranian and Israeli state-affiliated actors’ dissemination of fabricated conflict imagery has degraded the integrity of the information environment, likely intended to manipulate public perception and gain a psychological advantage in their military confrontation.
◾ 6. Strategic Implications And Lessons Learnt
This incident demonstrates the integration of information warfare with kinetic operations, a hybrid threat that challenges traditional security frameworks by weaponizing public perception in real-time.
This evolution from classic propaganda to AI-driven synthetic media demands that institutions develop robust, rapid verification protocols and that individuals enhance their digital literacy.
sources
Al Jazeera: "Israel-Iran conflict rages with ongoing aerial strikes amid war of words." June 19, 2025
Iran Intel: Iran enters near-total internet blackout
Full Fact Org: Video supposedly showing destroyed buildings in Tel Aviv almost certainly AI
Full Fact Org: Old video of Kyiv drone attack shared as recent footage of Israel-Iran conflict
Spanish-Language Disinformation Targets LA Protests
◾ 1. Context
Recent immigration enforcement activities by ICE in Los Angeles led to public protests. These demonstrations created conditions where false narratives could be spread, particularly within Spanish-speaking communities.
The apparent aim of these narratives was to discredit the protests and link them to foreign or extremist political ideologies.
◾ 2. What Happened
Following the protests, false information circulated on social media, especially X, asserting protest groups were connected to "the Venezuelan mafia," the Communist Party of Cuba, and Mexico's Morena Party.
One X post garnered over 600,000 views, while other posts falsely depicted Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Governor Gavin Newsom with communist symbols or leaders.
These claims used decontextualized or fabricated visuals to gain traction among Spanish-speaking users.
◾ 3. Nature of Information
This is Disinformation. It consists of fabricated or manipulated content designed to intentionally deceive audiences.
The aim is to undermine the credibility of the protests and elected officials by associating them with controversial political ideologies. This assessment is made with high confidence, supported by analysis from multiple fact-checking organizations.
◾ 4. Character of Information
The disinformation primarily spread on platforms like X and Telegram. Tactics included misattributed photos, such as a fake image of Mayor Bass with Fidel Castro, and the use of charged terms like "URBAN COMMUNIST TERRORISM."
There is evidence of grassroots coordinated amplification, potentially involving fake accounts and marketing companies, as Spanish-language fake accounts are reportedly more common than English ones.
◾ 5. Impact & Information Effects Statement
The campaign distorted public understanding of the protests, leading to reduced trust in the legitimacy of the demonstrations and local officials. It sought to increase polarization and justify certain responses to the protests.
It is assessed with high confidence that actors disseminating Spanish-language disinformation about Los Angeles protests have degraded public trust in this information environment.
◾ 6. Strategic Implications And Lessons Learnt
This incident illustrates how information operations can integrate with real-world events, exploiting linguistic and cultural vulnerabilities to manipulate public sentiment.
Such hybrid threats challenge traditional security by exacerbating existing social divisions. Individuals should enhance their digital literacy to identify false claims and emotional manipulation.
Platforms must improve moderation efforts for non-English content. Geopolitically, this suggests continued efforts by various actors to exploit internal divisions through targeted disinformation.
Sources
Yahoo News: Spanish-language misinformation about Los Angeles protests pushes a familiar theme
Pen America: Guide to Combating Los Angeles Immigration Protest Mis/Disinformation
CBS News: Fake Videos and conspiracies fuel falsehoods about Los Angeles Protests
X Search Filter on Karen Bass Communist Leader Disinformation
Thai Army Denies False Report On Cambodian Border Blockade
◾ 1. Context
The border area between Thailand and Cambodia, near Chong Bok, has seen recent tensions. A military clash occurred on May 28, 2025, leading to a Cambodian soldier's death and claims of land violations.
This situation, marked by strong national feelings and ongoing border disputes, creates an easy path for false information to spread.
Such claims likely aim to anger people and possibly influence government actions.
◾ 2. What Happened
On June 15, 2025, a Facebook page falsely claimed that "fully armed Cambodian troops" had blocked a Thai road near Chong Bok. The page also said these troops stopped Thai soldiers from fixing the road near the "Emerald Triangle" area.
The Royal Thai Army spokesman, Maj. Gen. Winthai Suvari, quickly stated this report was false. He confirmed with local army units that no such event happened and that the road is clearly in Thai territory.
◾ 3. Nature of Information
This information about the Cambodian Army activity is Disinformation. It was made up on purpose to trick the public, by falsely showing Cambodian troops acting aggressively against Thailand.
The clear goal was to create anger and/or worry among Thai citizens about border safety. This assessment is made with high confidence as the Thai Army immediately checked and denied the claim. Furthermore, there is supporting evidence from Cambodian channels.
◾ 4. Character of Information
The false information started on an unnamed Facebook page, likely to avoid close public checking. It used a short, strong written claim to play on people's worries about the border and national pride.
◾ 5. Impact & Information Effects Statement
The false report could have quickly caused public alarm and distrust, making people think there was a real military threat. This might have pressured the Thai government to react strongly.
Even though it was quickly proven false, it made the information environment worse at a sensitive time. It is assessed with high confidence that the fake news about Cambodian troops blocking a Thai border road likely aimed to make the public angry and worsen already tense relations.
◾ 6. Strategic Implications And Lessons Learnt
This event shows how modern threats use social media to exploit old border issues and national feelings. Such actions bypass traditional news, challenging security by trying to change public views and possibly cause stronger reactions.
People must learn to check online sources and compare them with official news. Governments need fast, clear ways to speak out and counter false stories, also by watching less common online platforms. This means that even small border disagreements can be used to spread false information, which can destabilize regions and affect a country's own politics.
