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Remember to be careful when engaging online. The great majority of social media accounts are genuine, but if you aren’t sure, it is usually best not to engage. Trolls want influence. They can only have that if you follow them and share their messages. They will only drive us farther apart if we help them.
Organizations working to fight online deception
The National Association of Media Literacy Education.
A project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, works as a “consumer advocate” for voters and aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in politics.
The Cabinet Office of the Government of the United Kingdom reminds us that things online are not always what they seem. They supply this checklist to use before you share.
The CIR is an independent organisation dedicated to exposing human rights violations and threats to democracy.
More about the specific profiles and troll methods used in this quiz
Profile 1, Lina Camsey | profile | in-depth analysis
June 2024 | VIGINUM
Read the VIGINUM group’s full report on the Matryoshka campaign to see how it was identified, how it works, and who it threatens.
Stanford.edu
Digital strength is like physical strength: It requires consistent exercise. Check out the Stanford Cyber Policy Institute’s six strategies to build up your digital strength.
Feb. 7, 2025 | Newsweek
Jordan King reports on a Matryoshka video that fooled both Elon Musk and Donald Trump, who passed the fake video on to their hundreds of millions of followers.
Profile 2, lauren lloris | profile | in-depth analysis
September 2024 | Clemson Media Forensics Hub
Read our full report on Iran’s trolling to get the whole story, including descriptions of the operation’s scope and impacts, its messaging, and some specific visual examples.
Oct. 2, 2024 | The Times of London
Rhys Blakely of The Times of London talks Iran, trolls, and digital influence with Dr. Linvill from the Media Forensics Hub.
Profile 3, Joe Yanes | profile | in-depth analysis
Jan 30, 2020 | Quartz
There is danger in thinking social media accounts are foreign trolls without proof. Hanna Kozlowska spoke to the Atlantic Council’s Emerson Brooking about this for Quartz.
Profile 4, AlphaFox | profile | in-depth analysis
Nov. 4, 2024 | CNN
Isabel Rosales and Paul P. Murphy give us the scoop on that time AlphaFox78 posted false information on behalf of Russia. Dr. Linvill of the Media Forensics Hub provides commentary.
Dec. 9, 2024 | BBC
See how your online outrage becomes cash money for influencers in this BBC article by Sam Gruet and Megan Lawton.
May 22, 2023 | ADL
Anonymity online can provide opportunities for free expression. It can also open the door for hate and abuse. The Anti-Defamation League discusses the possibility of “an appropriate, well-reasoned balance”.
Profile 5, Cynthia Gaston | profile | in-depth analysis
April 1, 2025 | CBS
CBS interviews a victim of a crypto investment scam, showing the devastating effects of online fraud.
Sept. 27, 2024 | Harvard Gazette
Dr. Bruce Schneier of the Harvard Kennedy School discusses the digital age of scams and shows that we’re all susceptible, regardless of age, income levels, education, or IQ.
Aug. 28, 2024 | CNN
Whether for scammy or for political purposes, trolls are more likely to steal the identities of women to create their fake personas. CNN reports on influencers whose identities were used for political propaganda.
Federal Trade Commission
If you’re curious to know more about cryptocurrency and how to avoid crypto-based scams, check out this article by the FTC.
Profile 6, Thedetoxmama | profile | in-depth analysis
March 9, 2023 | Vice
Expert parasitologist Laura Nabarro weighs in on the parasite cleanse trend, urging us not to believe influencers over qualified medical professionals.
June 4, 2017 | ASF
In this brief podcast, Dr. Allycia Halladay of the The Autism Science Foundation demonstrates that there’s “insufficient evidence to show any dietary or nutritional therapy was effective” for treating autism, and debunks the claims that autism is linked to heavy metals.
May 9, 2024 | APA
Zara Abrams, writing for the American Psychological Association, discusses some of the risks associated with health influencers on social media, and offers tips for increasing your resilience to false or misleading medical advice.
November 24, 2021 | Reuters
Reuters asks medical experts about the risks of ingesting or bathing in Borax, which include skin, eye, and respiratory irritation, shock, digestive problems, infertility, kidney failure and death.
October 3, 2024 | Wired
David Gilbert discusses content shared by social media influencer Julia Czelazewicz, known as Detox Mama, and potential dangers unregulated health products pose to children.
Profile 7, Kevin Vereen | profile | in-depth analysis
February 2025 | Graphika
Network analysis firm Graphika’s full report on romance scams presents a set of case studies illustrating how these types of scams attempt to engage, deceive, and defraud people of their money.
Canadian Centre for Women’s Empowerment
This report demonstrates that Middle-aged women, older adults, and racialized folks are disproportionately targeted in romance scams. Women, particularly middle-aged women, are more likely to be emotionally manipulated into financial exploitation.
Profile 8, Kenneth Petty | profile | in-depth analysis
Oct. 16, 2024 | NBC
NBC’s Kevin Collier reports on the AI bot network Kenneth was a part of, originally identified by Clemson’s Media Forensics Hub.
February 2024 | Stanford
Read the full text of a research article from Stanford that finds A.I. can write persuasive propaganda with minimal human effort.
July 10, 2025 | NPR
NPR’s Bobby Allyn and Shannon Bond discuss how AI is used to create fake TikTok influencers, stealing successful content and replacing the original speaker with an AI personae.