Disinformation is an ever-present part of modern society, affecting everything from politics to healthcare; its proliferation has only been helped by the emergence of new ICTs and the internet. Our research on disinformation considers in particular the interaction between those technologies and the spread of disinformation. Tackling disinformation is a core challenge, not least given the rise in disinformation following the Covid-19 crisis.
OII researchers have studied the full breadth of disinformation. The Programme on Democracy and Technology, for example, investigates the systematic use of disinformation by states and parties to affect politics. Our research examines the interplay between systematic misinformation campaigns, news coverage, and increasingly important social media platforms for public understanding of science and technological innovation.
By Philip N. Howard
Harnessing information from polling data, internet postings, and interviews with journalists, bot writers, and political consultants, Howard offers a way to identify and derail "bot" technologies that jeopardize our discourse and democracies.
By Samuel C. Woolley (Editor) and Philip N. Howard (Editor)
Social media misinformation is spreading globally. This book argues that this automation and platform manipulation, amounts to a new political communications mechanism that editors Samuel Woolley and Philip N. Howard call "computational propaganda."
The aim of this project is to develop an AI-enhanced tool that integrates Large Language Models and social science theory for the rapid detection of conspiracy theories and provide insights to governments and policymakers on combatting such theories.
This project analyses Sweden's depiction online and in news media by foreign radical groups and how these depictions, in turn gains visibility in Swedish media
Artificial intelligence-driven tactics for manipulating and generating visual information have become increasingly sophisticated and accessible. This project examines how diverse stakeholders can affect AI governance for synthetic media.
By Marcel Schliebs, Hannah Bailey, Jonathan Bright, and Philip N. Howard
The Chinese state increasingly employs social media in its public diplomacy efforts. This report by Oxford researchers lays out the vast extent of China’s operations on Twitter, where it controls a huge number of highly active accounts.
19 July 2024
UKRI has announced its latest round of 68 Future Leaders Fellowships, of which the OII's Dr Luc Rocher was one of three Oxford recipients. The funds will enable them to work on making privacy technologies more transparent and accountable.
17 July 2024
The Oxford Internet Institute (OII) at the University of Oxford has appointed Dr Mohsen Mosleh to the role of Associate Professor in Social Data Science.
8 July 2024
Dr Victoria Nash will continue as Director of the Oxford Internet Institute until the end of 2025.
3 July 2024
As the UK approaches a general election, Professor Vicki Nash outlines the challenges around online safety that will need to be addressed by the next government.
Business Insider, 23 July 2024
Elon Musk might be a full-blown Donald Trump crusader now, but that still didn't stop Joe Biden from turning to the billionaire's social media platform to make one of the biggest announcements in his career.
Time Magazine, 14 July 2024
On July 5, after a landslide loss to the Labour Party, Sunak left office and the newly elected Prime Minister Keir Starmer began forming his new government. His approach to AI has been described as potentially tougher than Sunak’s.
Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2024
From a labor perspective, AI is really an “extraction machine.” Beneath the polished exterior of our devices lies the complex network of components and relationships necessary to power it.
