Gray Zone Series – Part I: From the Netherlands to Sweden – Tracking Coordinated Influence Networks Ahead of Elections
The Stockholm Center for Research and Innovation Security (SCRIS) at the Institute for Security and Development Policy (ISDP) is launching Gray Zone Series, a new webinar series examining how hybrid threats are changing today’s security environment. Bringing together leading experts and practitioners, the series explores foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI), cyber-enabled influence operations, technological vulnerabilities, and the implications for democratic resilience and national security.
The first webinar in the series will focus on coordinated inauthentic behaviour (CIB) networks and their role in shaping the information environment during European elections, with particular attention to the upcoming Swedish elections.
Ahead of the Swedish general elections, Trollrensics and Alliance4Europe have collaborated to investigate potential sources of coordinated inauthentic activity targeting the Swedish political information space. The research builds on previous investigations of CIB networks identified during the Dutch and Hungarian election cycles and examines how online influence operations exploit platform vulnerabilities to amplify political narratives and reach targeted audiences.
The investigation has identified hundreds of inauthentic assets operating across social media platforms, amplifying a range of narratives, including anti-immigration, pro-Russian, and anti-Ukrainian content. The research suggests that some of these networks may operate as commercial “guns for hire” services, providing influence capabilities to different actors. The activities identified are not attributed to any specific government or country where the accounts were geographically located.
During the webinar, speakers will discuss how coordinated influence networks are detected, how these operations evolve across election cycles, and what lessons can be drawn for strengthening democratic resilience against hybrid threats.
The webinar will also go beyond discussing the issue, and discuss how we can Disrupt these types of operations, drawing from the DISRUPT Toolkit.
Join us for the first webinar in SCRIS’ new Gray Zone Series as we explore how coordinated influence operations are evolving, how CIB networks are identified, and what lessons can be drawn for strengthening democratic resilience ahead of elections.
Following the presentations, the webinar will continue with an audience Q&A session, providing participants with an opportunity to engage directly with the speakers and discuss questions related to hybrid warfare, information manipulation, and emerging security challenges.
Speakers:
Robert Van Der Noordaa
Robert Van Der Noordaa is a Dutch engineer and analyst whose interest in (Russian) hybrid warfare, propaganda, disinformation, and online influence operations developed during his years living in different countries across Eastern Europe.
After completing post-academic journalism studies at Erasmus University Rotterdam, Robert began developing methods to detect trolls and disinformation campaigns on social media.
In 2019, Robert co-founded the software company Trollrensics together with Richard Odekerken. Trollrensics develops artificial intelligence-based tools and software to detect and analyse troll networks, organised influence campaigns, and propaganda activities online. Its technology is used by governments and other organisations to identify and assess election interference and foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI).
Robert’s and Trollrensics’ work has been featured by a wide range of international media outlets and research organisations, including The Guardian, Der Spiegel, Atlantic Council, Bellingcat, The Wall Street Journal, The Daily Beast, and others.’
Maria Voltsichina
Maria Voltsichina is an OSINT Investigator at Alliance4Europe, with years of experience working on Information Operations across Europe and Asia, and a PhD Candidate at Leiden University analyzing disinformation in the scope a longitudinal study.
Saman Nazari
Saman Nazari is a Swedish open-source intelligence researcher focusing on Chinese and Russian influence operations. Sam is coordinating and developing the Counter Disinformation Network.