Clemson researchers fight online disinformation

Two researchers at Clemson University’s Department of Communication have become international experts in identifying and exposing social media campaigns that spread disinformation.  The attention received by Darren Linvill and Patrick Warren reflect their first project, in 2017, to uncover and expose more than three million troll treats from Russian Twitter.  The university’s new Media Forensics Lab goes beyond educating those who study media.  It also empowers users of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media sites to better understand how disinformation works, how to spot it, and stop it from spreading.  This semester an undergrad research class will investigate disinformation campaigns connected to this year’s presidential election. In June, Linvill and Warren worked with university leaders to identify a fake account pretending to be a Clemson student spreading racist content.