Sign in

joe bodnar

@joeabodnar.bsky.social
561 followers 761 following 433 posts

I track state-backed info ops at @isdglobal.bsky.social. Cited by the New York Times, Economist, Washington Post, CNN and others. Opinions mine and open to change

PostsRepliesMedia
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
There's been a remarkable decline in engagement on X posts from Iranian diplomats since early April. I guess the Legos and memes got stale.
030
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Oh, come on. www.propublica.org/article/dona...
propublica.org
Donald Trump Jr.’s Wedding Bankrolled by Putin-Linked Russian Oligarch
The oligarch, Umar Kremlev, spent hundreds of thousands on expenses like renting out a private island. He appears to have met Trump Jr. only recently, but he attended the intimate wedding with a large...
010
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
I've only reviewed the IO aspects of this, but it's clear Anthropic is setting a new standard for threat intelligence reporting. As troubling as the details are, it's so useful to have them public. www.anthropic.com/threat-intel...
anthropic.com
Countering misuse of AI: September 2026 / Anthropic
Case studies from threat actors disrupted between December 2025 and August 2026 across seven areas of harm, from cyber operations to biological misuse.
022
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
I like using one password manager to get into another password manager so I can sign in and then dual authenticate on a separate device.
010
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
My colleague wrote a really impressive piece on a very unimpressive Russian information operation targeting Germany's elections. My favorite stat: Of the 269 posts collected targeting the upcoming elections in Germany, only seven were in German. www.isdglobal.org/digital-disp...
isdglobal.org
Investigation | An old dog with no new tricks: Matryoshka targets regional elections in Germany - Institute for Strategic Dialogue
ISD finds Matryoshka targets Germany’s 2026 elections, exposing weaknesses that could aid detection in future elections.
044
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Shared my thoughts on this with Politico yesterday, but alas, it's only accessible to people with a Politico Pro subscription. For you average folk, just know, available data doesn't support the idea that China is driving opposition to data centers. That's homegrown.
020
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Amazing that this renewed interested in foreign disinfo is being driven by overhyped reports about Chinese interference in data center debates. The X update mirrored OpenAI's report, which categorized the Chinese operation (Spamo) as Category One on the breakout scale. That's the lowest category.
131
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
We should just call them information operations, not AI-enabled IOs. At this point, it's unusual to see an IO that doesn't use AI. Meta: "Every one of the CIB networks we disrupted and shared in this report incorporated some form of generative AI." transparency.meta.com/sr/H2-2026-a...
transparency.meta.com
020
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
On a real note, it's very hard to find something that isn't considered critical infrastructure by CISA. RV parks, marathons, self-storage garages--all explicitly named critical infrastructure. www.cisa.gov/topics/criti...
cisa.gov
Commercial Facilities Sector | Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA
010
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Hear me out: what if we made a framework or a toolkit. That would probably solve it.
000
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
For the past couple weeks, I've been red teaming an LLM with the help of an LLM. It's such a confusing way to work. When is 2021 coming back?
120
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
I'm on a quiet crusade to right size state-backed information operations. There's so much room to make fun of these guys.
120
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
I have yet to see compelling evidence that any foreign actor is meaningfully attempting to manipulate US debates around AI data centers. There are some examples of posts and articles—but nothing sustained or impactful. What am I missing?
110
Reposted by joe bodnar
Jason Koebler @jasonkoebler.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
New: Researchers have quantified how easy AI search is to manipulate. Just 13 words buried in a random Reddit comment can poison AI search results. They suggest this is not easy to stop: "The way you can attack these systems is so much dumber than you think it is" www.404media.co/it-is-trivia...
404media.co
It Is Trivially Easy to Use Reddit to Manipulate AI Search, Research Suggests
"We show that a tiny snippet—just 13 words—of retrieved text on a UGC website like Reddit, Wikipedia, Quora, or Facebook can change AI agents to output spam / scam content pretty consistently."
5029751169
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
I've been thinking about that OpenAI report for a day. They appropriately characterized the Chinese IO as a category 1 on the breakout scale, meaning no one saw it. But by releasing that report, OpenAI elevated the IO to a category 3 or 4 on that same scale. They're feeding into a perception hack.
010
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
"Man posted support for Ukraine days before leaving trash in park" vibes from Overload.
011
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Ahh I hadn't seen that. Appreciate it!
000
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Russian IOs are impersonating soccer players. The World Cup has kicked off!
131
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Bummed by this OpenAI report. It's Spamouflage. It's not new and it's not impactful. If I was cynical, which I'm not, I'd say this report was just meant to stir up anti-China sentiment. openai.com/index/prc-li...
openai.com
PRC-linked influence operations are targeting AI debates in the US
A new report from OpenAI details PRC-linked influence operations using AI to target U.S. tech debates, data center narratives, tariffs, and false claims about ChatGPT.
233
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Wonder if this says anything about the ops production timeline. I remember its Kirk narrative coming about 2 months after that incident, too.
020
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
Ilan*
010
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
Reuters reported that Russia plans "to transport tens of thousands of Russian-Armenians to sway ‌the vote." Here's a screenshot of Mika Badalyan, a pro-Russia blogger with links to Ilhan Shor, offering to pay for that transportation. www.reuters.com/world/import...
152
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
Always recommend The Ferryman by Justin Cronin. It's a weird, addictive read.
010
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 24/05/2026
Surely this was written so people would respond with this take because any response is good
000
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
AND @ushadrons.bsky.social is doing similarly incredible monitoring. The whole research field benefits from their work.
000
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Great piece on Russian IOs targeting Armenia. We're about to publish an in-depth look at these ops and others. But I have to say, @antibot4navalny.bsky.social Matryoshka monitoring is absurd. The amount of energy and expertise needed to find all those posts is wild www.euronews.com/my-europe/20...
euronews.com
A large scale disinformation campaign is targeting Armenia's election
For several months, Armenia has been the target of a wide-ranging Russian disinformation campaign ahead of its parliamentary elections in early June. Researchers say the operation is among the most ex...
100
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
My first quote in the New York Times is just me being shocked about something I had no idea was happening. I've done a lot of Overload watching but hearing that it had hijacked accounts for well-known individuals was new--and really concerning. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/21/b...
nytimes.com
Bluesky Says Kremlin Is Hacking Its Platform to Spread Propaganda
010
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
You have to pay attention. Russian disinformation can be very subtle.
000
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
Shout out to @indicator.media for its guide on Skills in Chrome. I customized a prompt and made this great Obsidian network map in like 5 minutes.
011
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
It's nice of TikTok to give us something on the influence operations it sees. But this is as close to nothing as possible.
020
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Gotta love a cross over episode
010
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
Stoked to see the New York Times cite our research! www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
nytimes.com
Iran’s Meme War Against Trump Ushers In a Future of ‘Slopaganda’
The country’s propaganda apparatus has harnessed artificial intelligence tools to reach a global online audience primed for irony, irreverence and trolling.
000
Reposted by joe bodnar
David Gilbert @davidgilbert.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
NEW Conspiracies claiming the attack at the White House Correspondents dinner on Saturday night was STAGED were everywhere online within minutes of the incident happening Like Butler, most of it is coming from the left.... www.wired.com/story/staged...
wired.com
‘STAGED’: Conspiracy Theories Are Everywhere Following White House Correspondents' Dinner Shooting
The word “staged” exploded on social media following the attack, as both right and left-wing influencers and anonymous accounts spread unfounded conspiracy theories.
398927
Reposted by joe bodnar
Institute for Strategic Dialogue @isdglobal.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
Iranian embassies and officials on X have shifted from formal diplomatic messaging towards viral “shitposting,” using absurdity, humor and provocation to capture attention. New ISD analysis highlights the significant impact of this shift 👉 www.isdglobal.org/digital-disp...
isdglobal.org
Iran's diplomats launch a meme war - Institute for Strategic Dialogue
Iranian officials are using provocative, ironic content to go viral, driving massive engagement and reshaping state messaging during the war.
1125
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
Put all the stats on Iranian embassies’ shitposting campaigns into one place. Since the war, embassy accounts have increased their volume of posts by 4X, likes by 30X, shares by 16X, and views by 14X. We're talking 900,000 views in 50 days. They found the formula www.isdglobal.org/digital-disp...
isdglobal.org
Iran's diplomats launch a meme war - Institute for Strategic Dialogue
Iranian officials are using provocative, ironic content to go viral, driving massive engagement and reshaping state messaging during the war.
020
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Explosive Media seeming a little desperate of late. LEGO videos are only novel for so long.
000
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
Iranian diplomats using X to crowdsource soldiers seems bad? Also, spotted some unimpressive CIB around this effort, apparently tied to the Ahlulbait Indonesia.
000
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
I feel very seen right now
010
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
The Economist cited our findings. On an unrelated note, I'll be retiring now. www.economist.com/culture/2026...
economist.com
In the AI propaganda war, Iran is winning
A joyless theocracy produces wittier videos than the Trump administration
020
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
There was a similar spike in likes and shares. I'm not 100% sure what's going on, but at least part of this engagement looks inorganic.
010
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
I'm going to continue live tweeting my spreadsheets. Collectively, Iranian diplomats on X have received 30 times more likes since the war began than during the same period before it. It jumped from 660K likes to 21M likes. Stunning numbers.
020
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Iran’s embassy in South Africa gained more views on X in the first 49 days of the war than 150 diplomatic accounts did in the 49 days before the war. A masterclass in shitposting (and potential bot use).
062
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Something big funky going on with Iranian embassy posts. Iran's embassy in Tajikistan posted an AI video of Jesus knocking Trump's head off. It gained 13 million views in a single minute.
110
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
Messed around and found a couple pro-Iran networks on X that gained more than a billion (with a B) views in a month. They were boosted by X's For You feed and alerts. Iranian and Russian diplomats reshared them. These are great examples of small networks gaming X. www.isdglobal.org/digital-disp...
isdglobal.org
How pro-Iran networks gained a billion views on war propaganda - Institute for Strategic Dialogue
Two pro-Iran X networks gained over a billion views via coordinated misleading content and Premium verification under algorithmic amplification.
041
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
This is what they're cooking up
000
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
Iranian diplomats on X are going insane and putting up insane numbers. It's a total reversal of what they were doing pre-war. Here's the numbers for 125 embassy / diplomatic accounts: 46 days before the war: ~ 500K likes on 9K posts 46 days since the war: ~ 18M likes on 39K posts
052
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
I usually don't like to brag, but I can spend full days pulling data, adjusting the query, and pulling it again. That's probably my most valuable skill.
010
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
Iranian diplomats on the blockade
010
Reposted by joe bodnar
Axios @axios.com · 12/04/2026
BREAKING: Orbán defeated in Hungary after 16 years in power
axios.com
Earthquake in Hungary: Orbán defeated after 16 years in power
It's a stunning rebuke to one of the Western world's most entrenched populist leaders.
921104288
joe bodnar @joeabodnar.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
I'm a huge fan of PBS. It's so cool to see our research, which we'll published a piece on in the next couple days, highlighted in this piece. www.pbs.org/newshour/nat...
pbs.org
Tripped up by misinformation? Here's a refresher on identifying AI
Here are some tips for distinguishing AI-generated content from reality in an online world where that continues to get harder.
010