Month: January 2023

This is an update on the yellow fever situation in the WHO African Region since the last disease outbreak news was published on 2 September 2022.

From 1 January 2021 to 7 December 2022, a total of 203 confirmed and 252 probable cases with 40 deaths (Case Fatality Ratio 9%) were reported to WHO from 13 countries in the WHO African Region.

Risk factors for further yellow fever spread and amplification include low population immunity, population movements, viral transmission dynamics, and climate and environmental factors that have contributed to the spread of Aedes mosquitoes. Recent Reactive Vaccination Campaigns increase population immunity and may have contributed to reducing the risk of yellow fever spread in targeted countries, resulting in a gradual downward trend in reported confirmed cases in 2022. However, the countries remain at high risk.

Description of the outbreak

In 2022, 12 countries in the WHO African Region have reported confirmed cases of yellow fever (Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Niger, Nigeria, the Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone and Uganda). Eight of these countries are experiencing a continuation of transmission from 2021 (Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Nigeria, and the Republic of the Congo) and four countries are newly reporting confirmed cases (Kenya, Niger, Sierra Leone and Uganda). One country, Gabon, reported an isolated confirmed case in 2021, but no further cases were registered in 2022.

Since 2021, a total of 203 confirmed and 252 probable cases with 40 deaths and a CFR of 9% have been reported. Of these, 23 deaths have been reported among confirmed cases (CFR among confirmed cases 11%) (Table 1). The high overall CFR among confirmed cases in 2021 (17 deaths, 11%) continued in 2022 (six deaths, 12%).

The male-to-female ratio among confirmed cases is not significantly different in 2021 and 2022 (1.3 and 1.6 respectively). The most affected age group amongst confirmed cases in 2021 was 10 years and below; meanwhile, the most affected group in 2022 is 20 to 30 years old. Overall, about 71% of confirmed cases are aged 30 years and below, and children aged 10 years and below are disproportionately affected.

According to the WHO/UNICEF Estimates of National Immunization Coverage (WUENIC), in 2021 routine immunization coverage against yellow fever in the African Region for childhood vaccinations was 48%, much lower than the 80% threshold required to confer population immunity against yellow fever, indicating the presence of an underlying susceptible population at risk of yellow fever and the risk of continued transmission. Country-specific estimates of vaccination coverage for 2021 are 54% in Cameroon, 41% in the Central African Republic, 45% in Chad, 67% in the Republic of the Congo, 65% in Côte d’Ivoire, 56% in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 64% in Gabon, 94% in Ghana, 7% in Kenya, 80% in Niger (subnational introduction limited to four counties in 2021), 63% in Nigeria and 85% in Sierra Leone. Uganda has recently rolled-out yellow fever into the Routine Immunization programme.

Increasing population immunity through past and ongoing Preventive Mass Vaccination Campaigns (PMVC) supported through the EYE Strategy, and Reactive Vaccination Campaigns (RVC) have increased population immunity rapidly in implementing countries which has contributed to reducing the risk of spread of yellow fever in targeted countries. This may contribute to the gradual downward trend in reported confirmed cases in 2022, but should be noted that there is also variation in virus transmission dynamics that are difficult to predict.

Epidemiology of Yellow fever

Yellow fever is an epidemic-prone, vaccine-preventable disease caused by an arbovirus transmitted to humans by the bites of infected Aedes and Haemagogus mosquitoes. The incubation period ranges from 3 to 6 days. Many people do not experience symptoms, but when they occur, the most common are fever, muscle pain with prominent back pain, headache, loss of appetite, and nausea or vomiting. In most cases, symptoms disappear after 3 to 4 days. A small percentage of cases progress to a toxic phase with systemic infection affecting the liver and kidneys. These individuals can have more severe symptoms of high-grade fever, abdominal pain with vomiting, jaundice and dark urine caused by acute liver and kidney failure. Bleeding can occur from the mouth, nose, eyes, or stomach. Death can occur within 7 – 10 days in about half of cases with severe symptoms.

Yellow fever is prevented by an effective vaccine, which is safe and affordable. A single dose of yellow fever vaccine is sufficient to grant sustained immunity and life-long protection against yellow fever disease. A booster dose of the vaccine is not needed. The vaccine provides effective immunity within 10 days for 80-100% of people vaccinated, and within 30 days for more than 99% of people vaccinated.

Public health response

Surveillance and Laboratory.

WHO provides support to national health authorities in conducting field investigations and determining the epidemiological classification of yellow fever cases. A total of 51 personnel from at least 10 countries have been trained to investigate confirmed or probable cases of yellow fever. Furthermore, case investigation reports were reviewed, and feedback was provided to field teams to assess disease exposure and risk of disease spread.

An innovative programme to facilitate the international shipment of yellow fever samples to regional reference laboratories, as well as laboratory testing and capacity building, has been initiated with support from the EYE Strategy. WHO is engaged in ongoing activities to support countries in the laboratory diagnosis of yellow fever, including periodic accreditation visits and capacity development.

Reactive vaccination

Since the beginning of the current outbreak (2021 to 7 December 2022), a total of 4 385 320 persons have been vaccinated in five countries: Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Ghana and Kenya, as part of the ICG-supported response. Nine ICG requests for vaccination campaigns were approved for Cameroon (one request), the Central African Republic (two requests), Chad (two requests), Ghana (two requests), Kenya (one request), and Niger (one request).

Reactive campaign conducted in Kembe Satema in the Central African Republic from 2 to 19 November 2022 had 101.7% coverage. Based on preliminary results, the campaign in Bambari, the Central African Republic, which ended on 23 November 2022, had 87.7% coverage.

Final results are pending from an ICG-supported RVC in Niger, which is anticipated to protect approximately 1.1 million people.

Preventive mass campaign vaccination

Most priority countries have conducted a PMVC against yellow fever or are in process. Gabon, Kenya, and Niger have not planned PMVCs, however, they are included in the EYE Strategy as priority countries. Approximately 50 million people are expected to be protected by PMVCs conducted in 2022.

Chad: The country has prepared an application for a PMVC to be submited in January 2023. Weekly risk analysis sessions supported by the EYE Strategy have been conducted since 18 October 2022 to inform the planning of priority areas for the PMVC.

The Republic of the Congo: PMVC for yellow fever and measles integrated vaccination was organized from 5 to 14 August 2022 in 11 out of 12 departments with a coverage of 93% for yellow fever (preliminary report). The final report of the campaign and the mandatory Post Campaign Coverage Survey (PCCS) are pending.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo: Eight provinces have organized preventive campaigns in 2021 including Bas-Uele, Equateur, Haut-Uele, Mongala, Nord-Ubangi, Sud-Ubangi, Tshopo and Tshuapa. Three provinces have been scheduled to conduct preventive campaigns from the end of November 2022 through January 2023, and include Maniema, Sankuru and Sud Kivu.

Nigeria: The country has entered its final phases of PMVCs. In 2022 alone, campaigns have been conducted in Adamawa, Borno (special approach), Enugu, Gombe, Kano and Ogun States. Bayelsa State is planned for early 2023. The country is anticipated to complete nation-wide PMVCs by 2024.

Uganda: The country introduced yellow fever vaccination into routine immunization in late October 2022. In addition, 10 of 13 million vaccine doses have been received for PMVC, the rest were expected at the end of November 2022 but have not yet been received. PMVC has been planned for late January 2023.

Prevention of International Spread and Points of Entry (PoE)

All 13 countries that reported confirmed cases have implemented requirements for proof of vaccination against yellow fever as a condition for entry. Ten countries require proof of vaccination against yellow fever for any traveller, regardless of the origin of their voyage; whereas three countries (Chad, Kenya, and Nigeria) require proof of vaccination against yellow fever for travellers arriving from countries with areas at risk for yellow fever transmission as determined by the WHO Secretariat.

WHO risk assessment

Between 26 August 2022 and 29 November 2022, there have been 22 additional confirmed cases of yellow fever reported from ten countries. However, based on retrospective classification of the cases, there were only seven new confirmed cases and one death. Countries including Burkina Faso, Senegal and Togo have reported probable cases that were subsequently discarded, indicating that there is enhanced surveillance put in place. However, there is still persistent yellow fever virus circulation, as several of the recent confirmations have been from locations with little or no underlying immunity (e.g., near urban areas in Cameroon and Uganda; areas with no history of yellow fever vaccination such as Isiolo county, Kenya) hard-to-reach and under-served populations, including children that have been disproportionately impacted.

Based on the current situation of yellow fever in the WHO African region, the risk at the regional level was re-assessed as moderate on 12 December 2022 (high in November 2021 and June 2022) due to:

1. The decrease in the number of reported cases and the increasing population immunity, since there are ongoing and recent preventive vaccination campaigns, as well as reactive campaigns that have been organized in the affected countries, with more than four million people vaccinated in five countries (Ghana, Cameroon, Chad, the Central African Republic and Kenya), and an estimated 50 million people immunized during the PMVCs in 2021-2022 (Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo) supported by the EYE Strategy.

2. There is ongoing yellow fever virus circulation in some high-risk areas, the most recent cases, and outbreaks are reported in areas impacted by underlying risk factors, including gaps in routine immunization, missed special populations (e.g., nomadic or pastoralists and other mobile populations), security and access challenges.

3. Most confirmed cases were reported in the last quarter of 2021, however several of the recent confirmations have been from urban areas and/or locations with little or no underlying immunity (e.g., near urban areas in Cameroon and Uganda; areas with no history of yellow fever vaccination);

4. Case classifications, and response operations remain a challenge;

5. Delays in detection and investigation; delays in the implementation of previously planned PMVC, competing outbreaks and pandemics of COVID-19 and Mpox that are attracting more attention in yellow fever-affected countries, and security constraints in affected areas (the Central African Republic, far North of Cameroon, Eastern – the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Northern Nigeria), population movement, all present risks that could lead to new yellow fever transmission.

The overall global risk remains low, as no cases related to this current outbreak have been reported at this stage outside of the African region. However, there are favorable ecosystems for yellow fever outside the African region, especially in the neigbouring countries in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region. There might be challenges in surveillance and immunization capacities due to the potential onward transmission through viremic travellers and due to the presence of the competent vector, if not detected in a timely way.

The impact on public health will persist until the ongoing outbreaks are controlled, vaccination coverage is high and immunity gaps in the population are closed. The importation of cases to countries with suboptimal coverage and persisting population immunity gaps poses a high risk and may jeopardize the tremendous efforts invested to achieve elimination.

WHO advice

Transmission can be amplified in circumstances where the Aedes mosquitos (day feeder) are present in urban settings and densely populated areas causing rapid spread of the disease.

Surveillance: WHO recommends close monitoring of the situation with active cross-border coordination and information sharing, due to the possibility of cases in neighboring countries. Enhanced surveillance with investigation and laboratory testing of suspect cases is recommended.

Vaccination: Vaccination is the primary means for the prevention and control of yellow fever. Yellow fever vaccines approved by WHO are safe, highly effective, and provide life-long protection against infection.

The countries reporting yellow fever cases and outbreaks are all high-priority countries for the EYE Strategy. The EYE Strategy recommends that all high-risk countries introduce yellow fever vaccination into their routine immunization (RI) schedule for those aged 9 months (Ethiopia, South Sudan have yet to introduce it into RI). Review of the risk analysis and scope of immunization activities to protect the population could help avert the risk of future outbreaks (e.g. Kenya).

To protect populations in high-risk areas in the longer term, it is important to continue the roll-out of Preventive Mass Vaccination Campaigns (PMVCs) and bolster Routine Immunization (RI), as well as take steps to strengthen the application of International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) and bolster surveillance for rapid detection aligned to EYE objectives.

WHO recommends vaccination for all international travellers, aged 9 months and older, going to areas determined by the WHO Secretariat as at risk for yellow fever transmission and for additional areas the recommendation for vaccination of international travellers is subject to the assessment of the likelihood of exposure of each individual traveller.

Yellow fever vaccination is safe, highly effective and a single dose provides life-long protection. Yellow fever vaccination is not recommended for infants younger than 9 months, except during epidemics when the risk of yellow fever virus transmission may be very high. The risks and benefits of vaccination in this age group should be carefully considered before vaccination. The vaccine should be used with caution during pregnancy or breastfeeding. However, pregnant or breastfeeding women may be vaccinated during epidemics or if travel to a country or area with a risk of transmission is unavoidable.

According to the provisions of the International Health Regulations (IHR), any country may decide to implement the requirement for proof of vaccination against yellow fever for arriving travellers. For international travel purposes, the proof of vaccination against yellow fever is only valid if recorded in the International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis. The International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis becomes valid 10 days after vaccination against yellow fever and extends for the life of the person vaccinated with a WHO-approved vaccine. A booster dose of the yellow fever vaccine cannot be required of international travellers as a condition of entry.

Vector control: In urban centres, targeted vector control measures are also helpful to interrupt transmission. As a general precaution, WHO recommends avoidance of mosquito bites, including the use of repellents and insecticide-treated mosquito nets. The highest risk for transmission of yellow fever virus is during the day and early evening.

Source: World Health Organization

Armed Escort Imposition and Negotiations

Country Roundtable Updates

Regional Update

a. Accra Initiative

b. European Humanitarian Forum (EHF)

c. Lake Chad Basin Conference

Disclaimer

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

To learn more about OCHA’s activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.

Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Humanitarian actors provided life-saving assistance to 1.5 million people between January and September 2022, representing 75 per cent of the target for 2022.

3.4 million people will need humanitarian assistance and protection in 2023.

After several years of displacement, humanitarian and development actors are helping internally displaced persons and refugees to resume a normal life.

With 50 per cent of the population not eating enough, CAR has one of the highest proportions of critically food-insecure people in the world.

Central African Republic: Soaring humanitarian needs in 2023

The humanitarian crisis in the Central African Republic (CAR) continues to deteriorate. As a result of violence against civilians and insecurity in areas outside urban centres, several million people are increasingly vulnerable and their livelihoods are eroding. Their access to food and basic services such as health care and water supply is drastically limited.

In 2023, 3.4 million people will need humanitarian assistance and protection, an increase of 10 per cent compared to 2022. This includes 2 million people who will have such complex and severe needs that their physical and mental well-being is at risk.

These are the findings of a joint multi-sectoral analysis conducted by the humanitarian community among vulnerable people, published in the Humanitarian Needs Overview 2023 for CAR. People affected by the crisis were at the heart of the analysis, with 23,300 households interviewed in all 72 sub-prefectures of the country. The results shed light on how the current crisis is affecting the living conditions of the population, available services and access to these services, and inform about people’s priority needs.

Increasing needs

The sectors with the largest number of people in need of humanitarian assistance in 2023 are water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), food security, health and protection, covering between 2.7 and 3 million people. Food security and WASH are the sectors with the greatest increase of needs, with 600,000 (+25 per cent) and 200,000 (+7 per cent) more people in need of assistance compared to 2022.

While clashes between parties to the conflict have decreased in intensity to some extent, violence against civilians has not kept pace and their livelihoods continue to deteriorate, including through forced displacement. In addition, the stress within households due to food insecurity, as well as the adoption of negative coping mechanisms have led to an increase in gender-based violence (GBV), affecting thousands of women and girls. Of the 10 sub-prefectures that recorded an increase in GBV cases, five sub-prefectures are classified in phase 4 of 5 on an international food insecurity classification scale, just one step away from a catastrophic situation.

A solid foundation for the 2023 humanitarian response

To meet people’s needs in 2023, humanitarian actors in collaboration with the Central African Government are developing a common strategy to guide their response, based on the 2023 Humanitarian Needs Overview. This strategy will be detailed in the 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan for CAR, which will be published in December 2022.

Thanks to generous donor contributions, humanitarian partners in CAR have provided life-saving multi-sectoral assistance to 1.5 million people during the first nine months of 2022, despite a volatile security context. Although the level of funding for the Humanitarian Response Plan 2022 remains among the highest in the region, sectors such as WASH, education and protection, in particular GBV, remain underfunded. Humanitarian partners are counting on the continued commitment of donors to stand by Central Africans and enable humanitarian organizations to respond to the ever-growing needs of the population in 2023.

Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Veteran HR professional brings over 20 years of experience leading business-driven teams

CPO Announcement 2023

PETAH TIKVA, Israel and TYSONS CORNER, Va., Jan. 02, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Cellebrite DI Ltd. (Nasdaq: CLBT), a global leader in Digital Intelligence (DI) solutions for the public and private sectors (“Cellebrite” or “Company”), today announced that Zohar Tadmor-Eilat has been named Chief People Officer (CPO), effective February 1, 2023.

Zohar will report to Yossi Carmil, Chief Executive Officer of Cellebrite, and will be a member of the Company’s executive management team. She succeeds Osnat Tirosh, who is leaving Cellebrite after ten years to pursue other career and professional growth opportunities.

As CPO, Zohar will be responsible for leading Cellebrite’s human resources (HR) and people functions, including executive recruitment, talent management, organizational and leadership development. She brings over 20 years of experience as a senior HR leader and expertise in all HR and People & Culture domains.

Zohar Tadmor-Eilat said, “I am excited to join and support Cellebrite’s innovative team and look forward to continuing to foster a culture that helps everyone at Cellebrite learn, grow and thrive, as the company delivers on its purpose-driven mission of creating a safer world. Our people are our most valuable asset, and I look forward to empowering our team to unlock their full potential.”

Prior to joining Cellebrite, Zohar served as the Global Vice President of Human Resources at CyberArk, an identity security company. Earlier in her career, Zohar served as the Global Vice President of Human Resources at BitTech, a provider of bespoke technology solutions and services; the General Manager of HRISRAEL, a professional community for HR professionals; and as Vice President of Human Resources at Cal-Auto Group. Zohar received her B.A. from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and earned an M.A. in Labor Studies – Organizational Consulting and Human Resources Management from Tel Aviv University.

“Maintaining an engaged, ethical and innovative culture is critical to Cellebrite’s ability to attract and retain the best talent,” said Yossi Carmil, Chief Executive Officer of Cellebrite. “I am pleased to welcome Zohar to Cellebrite and am confident that under her seasoned leadership, our People function will continue to provide our team with the support and tools they need to unlock their full potential. I also want to thank Osnat for her substantial contributions and commitment to Cellebrite over the past decade, as she helped to grow and scale our organization from a start-up to an industry-leading global corporation,” Carmil concluded.

About Cellebrite

Cellebrite’s (Nasdaq: CLBT) mission is to enable its customers to protect and save lives, accelerate justice, and preserve privacy in communities around the world. We are a global leader in Digital Intelligence solutions for the public and private sectors, empowering organizations in mastering the complexities of legally sanctioned digital investigations by streamlining intelligence processes. Trusted by thousands of leading agencies and companies worldwide, Cellebrite’s Digital Intelligence platform and solutions transform how customers collect, review, analyze and manage data in legally sanctioned investigations. To learn more visit us at www.cellebrite.com, https://investors.cellebrite.com, or follow us on Twitter at @Cellebrite.

Cellebrite Contacts

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Victor Cooper
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Victor.cooper@cellebrite.com
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A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e39b2e65-a59c-4206-be9f-ec33e6df7837

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BRUSSELS, The European Union has urged Rwanda to stop supporting the M23 rebel group, which has captured swaths of territory in North Kivu province in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The DRC – along with the United States and several European countries – has repeatedly accused its smaller Central African neighbor Rwanda of backing the M23, although Kigali denies the charge.

The Tutsi rebel group has in recent months advanced to within a few dozen kilometers of North Kivu’s capital Goma.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the European bloc had urged Rwanda to “stop supporting the M23 and use all means to press the M23 to comply with the decisions taken by the EAC [East African Community]” at a November summit in Angola.

“It also firmly urges all states of the region to prevent the provision of any support to armed groups active in the DRC,” said Borrell.

He called on Kinshasa to “take all measures necessary to protect the civilian population in its territory”.

Under heavy international pressure to disarm, M23 joined a ceremony last week to deliver the strategic town of Kibumba to an East African military force as a “goodwill gesture” for peace.

The EAC also said the group had to withdraw to the border between the DRC, Uganda, and Rwanda. However, the Congolese army promptly dubbed the Kibumba handover a “sham”.

Borrell’s comments came after a United Nations experts’ report on DRC indicated it had collected proof of “direct intervention” by Rwandan defense forces inside DRC territory between November 2021 and October 2022.

The report says Rwandan troops launched operations to reinforce the M23 against the mainly Hutu Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) – notably by supplying weapons, ammunition and uniforms.

Kigali sees the FDLR as a threat that justifies interventions inside the DRC.

Rwanda has also accused the DRC – where presidential elections are due December – of using the conflict for political purposes as well as of “fabricating” a last November massacre of at least 131 civilians.

A United Nations inquiry blamed the deaths on M23 rebels.

Prior to the massacre, Angola had been mediating peace talks designed to pave the way for a truce agreement.

In a statement, Kinshasa welcomed the findings of the UN experts, which it said “put an end to the lies and manipulations” of Rwanda.

Given the gravity of the allegations, it called for the UN Security Council to examine the experts’ report with a view to possible sanctions against Rwanda.

Source: Nam News Network

For decades, if not longer, intelligence agencies worldwide have worried about disinformation, whether from adversaries or their own efforts to influence others.

It was persistent, and at times pitched, though it was not often on the minds of everyday people.

In 2022, however, that seems to have changed.

“In this age of misinformation — of ‘fake news,’ conspiracy theories, Twitter trolls and deepfakes — gaslighting has emerged as a word for our time,” the Merriam-Webster English language dictionary announced in November, naming it the official word of the year.

Online searches of the word, which means “the act or practice of grossly misleading someone especially for one’s own advantage,” jumped by 1740% throughout the year, the dictionary said, noting consistent interest in the word and modern efforts at deception.

In the United States, such concerns consistently dominated the public discourse, starting with President Joe Biden’s appeal to defend democracy on the first anniversary of the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

“Are we going to be a nation that lives not by the light of the truth but in the shadow of lies?” he asked.

“We cannot allow ourselves to be that kind of nation,” Biden said. “The way forward is to recognize the truth and to live by it.”

The U.S. president’s comments came just weeks after U.S. Homeland Security officials warned of ongoing — and more volatile — efforts by foreign intelligence services and terrorist organizations to seed the country with disinformation.

And those concerns grew as Russia prepared for its invasion of Ukraine.

Russia – Ukraine

“We’re seeing Russian state media spouting off now about alleged activities in eastern Ukraine,” U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters in late January, as 100,000 Russian troops took up positions along Ukraine’s border.

“This is straight out of the Russian playbook,” Austin said of the Russian disinformation efforts. “And they’re not fooling us.”

By mid-February, senior U.S. Homeland Security officials were warning that Moscow had fine-tuned its disinformation operations, “trying to lay the blame for the Ukraine crisis and the potential escalation in that conflict at the feet of the U.S.”

Russian disinformation efforts took another turn in the days following the invasion, according to U.S. defense officials, with the Kremlin publicizing false reports about the widespread surrender of Ukrainian troops to erode Ukrainian morale and resistance.

Russian-government affiliated news outlets also sought to use the war in Ukraine to boost Moscow’s standing in Africa, amplifying accounts in late February and early March of Africans and other people of color being subjected to racism as they sought to evacuate.

Other Russian disinformation campaigns focused on claims the U.S. was running biological weapons labs in Ukraine and on efforts to undermine Western support for Ukraine by targeting countries perceived as weak links.

Countercampaigns

Russia’s disinformation efforts and influence campaigns, however, did not go unanswered.

Even before the first Russian troops crossed the border into Ukraine in February, U.S. intelligence officials made a decision to fight disinformation with evidence and facts, taking the unprecedented step to declassify assessments to share with allies and even the public.

“The work that we’ve done, and it’s not without risk as an intelligence community to declassify information, has been very effective,” CIA Director William Burns told lawmakers in early March.

“We hopefully can provide some credible voice of what is actually happening,” added U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines. “That’s both for the domestic population, but that’s also for the international audience.”

Other Western countries and allies of Ukraine followed with pushback of their own.

In early March, the European Union banned broadcasts and websites affiliated with Russian state-funded media outlets.

Ukraine also ran its own counter-disinformation efforts, targeting audiences in Russia and Belarus, hoping to sow doubts and erode support for Moscow’s invasion.

“I’m not realistic about changing their minds,” Heorhii Tykhy, with Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry, said during a virtual forum in March, though he added that overall, Kyiv was “winning this information war and winning it massively.”

U.S. domestic fears

At the same, the U.S. intelligence agencies and their Western allies were focused on Russia’s disinformation efforts surrounding Ukraine, U.S. Homeland Security efforts were focused on disinformation at home.

In June, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reissued a National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) Bulletin, citing the pervasive disinformation environment, much of it originating in the U.S., as a key concern.

“It’s really the convergence of that myth and disinformation with the current events that creates those conditions that we’re concerned about in terms of mobilization to violence,” a senior DHS official said at the time.

Some of those fears had already manifested a month earlier when 18-year-old Payton Gendron, who consumed online conspiracy theories, shot and killed 10 Black people at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York.

Other acts of violence across the U.S., such as the shooting at a gay nightclub in Colorado in November, an attack against the husband of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and a rash of threats against religious institutions, also had links of various sorts to the online disinformation environment.

“One of the things we’ve seen with violent extremist ideologies is that they often commingle or cross over,” a second senior DHS official said this past November. “It just contributes to an environment where individuals … might grab on to those narratives in a way that motivates and animates their violent or potentially violent activity.”

U.S. elections

Some of the most targeted disinformation efforts, though, centered on the U.S. midterm elections in November.

“We are concerned malicious cyber actors could seek to spread or amplify false or exaggerated claims of compromise to election infrastructure,” a senior FBI official said in early October.

Other senior U.S. officials warned that adversaries like Russia, China and Iran would seize upon false narratives, originating in the U.S., questioning the integrity of the electoral process, and seek to amplify them.

Researchers also found evidence that Russia and China, in particular, had resurrected dormant social media accounts as part of intensified disinformation campaigns to spread doubts about the U.S. election.

And as the election neared, top U.S. officials called the threat of foreign influence operations and disinformation sparking violence a “significant concern.”

In the end, fears of potential violence never materialized into actual incidents, though U.S. officials did find themselves pushing back against domestic and largely partisan efforts to take scattered malfunctions and cast them as evidence of a larger conspiracy.

A report by the cybersecurity firm Mandiant concluded that in the end, efforts by Russia, China and Iran, some targeted specific contests but were mostly “limited to moderate in scale.”

A number of experts warn the threat of election disinformation is here to stay.

Future disinformation threats

“Narratives like the Big Lie have become systemic,” Graham Brookie, senior director of the Digital Forensic Research Lab at the Atlantic Council, said about former President Donald Trump’s disproven claims that the 2020 U.S. presidential election was stolen from him.

“[There is] not a huge amount of audience growth on that narrative, but for the audiences and communities that are engaged in and believe in that narrative, their engagement has gone up and become more hardened,” Brookie told VOA.

Some U.S. lawmakers are likewise warning the threats are not dissipating.

“After each election cycle, social media platforms like Meta often alter or roll back certain misinformation policies, because they are temporary and specific to the election season,” Democratic Representative Adam Schiff, chair of the House Intelligence Committee, and Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse wrote in a letter to the social media giant December 14.

“Doing so in this current environment, in which election disinformation continuously erodes trust in the integrity of the voting process, would be a tragic mistake,” they added. “Meta must commit to strong election misinformation policies year-round, as we are still witnessing falsehoods about voting and the prior elections spreading on your platform.”

Other lawmakers are looking at social media apps from China and Russia, calling for some, such as TikTok, to be banned in the U.S.

“TikTok is digital fentanyl that’s addicting Americans, collecting troves of their data, and censoring their news,” Republican Representative Mike Gallagher said in a statement regarding a bill designed to block such apps.

“This isn’t about creative videos,” Republican Senator Marco Rubio, vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee said in a statement regarding TikTok.

“This is about an app that is collecting data on tens of millions of American children and adults every day. We know it’s used to manipulate feeds and influence elections,” he said. “We know it answers to the People’s Republic of China.”

Source: Voice of America