As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues, people around the world are trying to make sense of this fast-unfolding tragedy. However, accessing accurate and trustworthy information about an active conflict is a minefield littered with mis- and disinformation, myths, and conspiracy theories.
To help policy makers and the public find accurate information about the conflict and stem the tide of misinformation, we are pleased to announce the release of the Russia-Ukraine ConflictMisinfo.org Research Portal, a rapid response project of the Social Media Lab at Toronto Metropolitan University. The portal is designed to be a resource for analysts and researchers interested in studying the nature and scale of online misinformation and disinformation about the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The portal hosed the following resources:
- ConflictMisinfo Dashboard – An information management tool for monitoring online misinformation and disinformation about the Russia-Ukraine conflict. It tracks and visualizes debunked claims from 100s of trusted fact-checkers from around the world.
- Russia-Ukraine ConflictMisinfo Geo-Map – A map of debunked claims about the Russia-Ukraine war that specifically reference a geographical location.
- The Reach of Russian Propaganda and Disinformation in Canada – A public report that examines the extent to which Canadians are exposed to and might be influenced by pro-Kremlin propaganda on social media based on a census-balanced national survey of 1,500 Canadians.
- External Resources – A curated list of projects and initiatives aimed at investigating and verifying Russian propaganda and disinformation on and offline.
- External Datasets – A curated list of publicly available datasets for studying dis- & misinformation campaigns on social media in the context of the Russia-Ukraine war.
About the Project Team
The Russia-Ukraine ConflictMisinfo Portal is developed by the Social Media Lab at Ted Rogers School of Management, Toronto Metropolitan University. The portal is the latest initiative added to our ongoing research on the spread of misinformation and conspiracy theories.
Professor and Canada Research Chair, Director of Research, Social Media Lab
Director of Business and Communications, Social Media Lab
Data source
The data for the ConflictMisinfo Dashboard comes from the Google Fact Check Tools API and is collected using a custom script developed by the Lab. Once collected, we process and translate the data before displaying it via the dashboard.
How to use the ConflictMisinfo Dashboard
- Use the drop-down menu to narrow your search parameters or click on any of the data points on the various interactive charts.
- Click on the URLs in the table to learn more about each fact-checked claim.
- To reset the previously selected filter(s), click on the little back arrow button in the upper left corner of the chart.
- To reset the entire dashboard, use the ‘reload page’ button in your browser.
