Latest news with #ISD
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Russia-linked disinfo campaign stokes anti-Ukrainian sentiment in Poland before June 1 vote, investigation finds
Russia-aligned influence campaigns have intensified efforts to spread disinformation targeting Ukrainian refugees in Poland ahead of the country's presidential runoff election on June 1, according to a new investigation by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD). ISD found that Russia-aligned actors are amplifying anti-Ukrainian sentiment through coordinated campaigns across platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), Bluesky, Facebook, and Telegram. These efforts include operations like "Operation Overload" and the pro-Kremlin network "Pravda/Portal Kombat," which use impersonation, AI-generated content, and coordinated amplification to push false narratives. One Operation Overload campaign claimed that Ukrainian refugees were preparing terrorist attacks targeting the Polish elections, garnering over 654,000 views and nearly 5,800 interactions on X. Another falsely accused Ukrainians of plotting attacks on politicians in neighboring countries. The investigation, published on May 30, highlighted that ChatGPT replicated misleading claims from the Pravda network, including accusations that Ukrainians were responsible for a rise in violent crime in Poland. A satirical video about refugees was manipulated by a pro-Kremlin influencer to portray Ukrainians as exploiting Poland's welfare system, sparking calls for deportations and online hate. The influencer's post alone received 161,500 views, 900 shares, and 380 comments, many of which were derogatory. ISD warns that immigration has become a key issue in the Polish election discourse, noting that both remaining presidential candidates have taken positions targeting Ukrainian refugees. Candidate Rafal Trzaskowski proposed halting child benefits for non-working refugees, while Karol Nawrocki suggested placing them last in line for public services. The investigation urges Polish authorities to remain vigilant against Russia-backed disinformation that fuels discrimination and societal division. ISD also calls on platforms to meet their obligations under the EU's Digital Services Act by clearly labeling AI-generated content and addressing systemic risks to electoral integrity. The European Commission is urged to expand enforcement of sanctions on Russian-linked aggregators and to coordinate with internet service providers to counter foreign information manipulation more effectively. Read also: Ukraine watches closely as Poland faces polarizing presidential run-off We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
MHA to conduct social experiments in June to test public's response to terror threats
MHA said the authorities will be around to ensure public safety. ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH MHA to conduct social experiments in June to test public's response to terror threats SINGAPORE – Several social experiments will be conducted in the heartland from early to mid-June to test how the public responds to terror incidents. These planned scenarios will involve actors and realistic props, said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on May 29. Declining to publicise details about the experiments, it said precautions will be taken to ensure that they cause minimal disruption to the public. MHA said the authorities will be around to ensure public safety. Reactions from members of the public will be recorded, and the footage will be used to create an educational web series to raise awareness about key SGSecure advisories, such as 'Run, Hide, Tell' and 'Press, Tie, Tell'. The first episode will premiere on July 30. SGSecure is a national movement launched in 2016 to prepare Singaporeans to deal with terrorist attacks and equip them with skills to handle a crisis. Run, Hide, Tell involves moving away from danger, staying out of sight, and informing the authorities. When dealing with casualties during emergency situations, members of the public can stop a victim from bleeding by applying pressure to the wound (press), securing it with a strip of cloth (tie), and calling 995 for help (tell). In its statement, MHA advised members of the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities to the authorities. During an SGSecure roadshow at Suntec City in July 2024, Minister for Home Affairs K. Shanmugam had said: 'We have kept Singapore safe and secure so far. So as a result, people don't think that there will be a terror attack. 'It's not in people's minds. But that doesn't mean an attack won't happen here.' In 2024, the Internal Security Department (ISD) said in its annual report that terrorism threats here have increased since the Gaza war began. Said ISD: 'While there is no indication of an imminent attack, the terrorism threat to Singapore remains high. Global developments and conflicts have generated emotive responses worldwide, including acts of violence, and terrorist elements have leveraged such conflicts to call for attacks. These developments have impacted Singapore's internal security.' A 2023 report by the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) found that lone wolves were the main terror threat to Singapore. In October 2024, a 17-year-old boy was arrested before he could carry out an attack on non-Muslims in Tampines during the September school holidays. Lone wolves have also been responsible for violent incidents abroad, using everyday objects as weapons. On May 23, a German woman was arrested after stabbing 18 people at a train station in Hamburg. In October 2023, a 14-year-old boy with a handgun opened fire at Siam Paragon in Bangkok, killing a Chinese tourist and a Myanmar national. Five others were injured. And in the latest incident involving a public security threat on May 26, a 53-year-old British man drove his vehicle into a crowd of Liverpool fans during a parade celebrating the football club's Premier League title, injuring around 50 people. Claudia Tan is a journalist at The Straits Times covering the crime and court beat. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Straits Times
5 days ago
- Straits Times
Charge withdrawn for man accused of helping trio allegedly linked to organised criminal group
SINGAPORE – A man accused of helping three Chinese nationals, who were allegedly linked to a global syndicate that conducted malicious cyber activities, has walked free after his charge was withdrawn on May 21. District Judge Ng Cheng Thiam granted Mr Goh Shi Yong, 35, a discharge amounting to an acquittal following a pre-trial conference that day. This means the Singaporean cannot be charged again over the same offence. Without revealing details, the Attorney-General's Chambers told The Straits Times on May 26: 'The charge pertained to Goh's alleged assistance to obtain residential internet access subscriptions for other accused persons. 'After careful consideration of the facts and circumstances of the matter, Goh's charge was withdrawn, and the prosecution applied for (the discharge). This was granted by the court on May 21.' Mr Goh had been accused of helping Liu Yuqi, 33, Huang Qin Zheng, 36, Yan Peijian, 39, subscribe to two Singtel broadband plans for a house in Mount Sinai Avenue near Holland Road where the trio lived. These four men were part of a group of six people who were charged in court in September 2024. Mr Goh is the sole Singaporean while the other five are Chinese nationals, whose cases are still pending. Liu, Huang and Yan are accused of multiple offences including being part of a locally linked organised criminal group between September 2022 and September 2024. The other two men are Sun Jiao, 43, and Zhang Qingqiao, 38. Sun now faces more than 20 charges including multiple counts of misusing a computer system, while Zhang is accused of offences including illegally obtaining the personal information of others without their consent. The six men were arrested after more than 150 officers from the Singapore Police Force's Criminal Investigation and Police Intelligence departments and Special Operations Command as well as the Internal Security Department (ISD) conducted simultaneous raids at multiple locations islandwide on Sept 9, 2024. Sun was caught at his home in a Bidadari Park Drive condominium and was 'found in possession of a laptop that contained credentials to access internet servers used by known hacker groups', the police and ISD said in an earlier joint statement. 'Five laptops, six mobile phones, cash of more than $24,000 and cryptocurrency worth approximately US$850,000 (S$1.1 million) were seized from him,' the authorities added. Liu, Huang and Yan were caught at their Mount Sinai Avenue home, where they allegedly had multiple incriminating items in their possession, including a laptop that was said to contain various computer hacking tools. Officers arrested Zhang at his home in a Cairnhill Road condominium. A laptop, nine mobile phones and $465,000 in cash were seized from him, said the police and ISD in September 2024. Mr Goh was caught at a Housing Board flat in Hougang. For being part of an organised criminal group, an offender can be jailed for up to five years and fined up to $100,000. Shaffiq Alkhatib is The Straits Times' court correspondent, covering mainly criminal cases heard at the State Courts. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
WIRED
21-05-2025
- WIRED
IVF Clinic Bombing Suspect Was Linked to ‘Anti-Life' Ideology. Experts Fear Its Growing Influence
May 21, 2025 6:30 AM The 25-year-old died after authorities say he bombed a Palm Springs fertility clinic. Experts warn that online nihilism is fueling similar violence in the US and Europe. The damaged front of the American Reproductive Centers fertility clinic stands following a bomb blast on May 17, 2025, in Palm Springs, California. Photograph:The man who died after authorities say he bombed a Palm Springs fertility clinic on Saturday was linked to antinatalism—the belief that all life is a form of suffering imposed on people without their consent—according to terrorism experts who have been analyzing his online presence. Authorities say Guy Bartkus, who was 25, set off an explosion in a car outside American Reproductive Centers, injuring five people and killing himself as well as causing extensive damage to the building in an act of terrorism. 'The subject had nihilistic ideations and this was a targeted attack,' Akil Davis, assistant director in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles field office, said in a press conference. Bartkus was attempting to live stream the attack, Davis added. All embryos in the facility were saved. Since the attack, Bartkus' digital footprint has surfaced, including writings and recordings of his views. According to the LAist, Bartkus appeared to describe himself as being promortalist and misandrist on a website that surfaced after the bombing and could be heard in an audio recording saying, 'Basically I'm anti-life. And IVF is like kind of the epitome of pro-life ideology.' He did not use his name on the site, but analysts from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) believe the website was operated by him. WIRED has viewed an archived version of the website. Reddit has also banned the antinatalist subreddit r/Efilism, telling NBC News it was removing 'any instances of the suspect's manifesto or recordings and hashing to prevent reupload.' Efilism, a form of antinatalism also linked to promortalism, gets its name by spelling 'life' backwards. Nihilists believe that life is meaningless. While promortalists and antinatalists also don't value human life, Katherine Keneally, director of threat analysis and prevention US for the ISD, says Bartkus' views were somewhat distinct from nihilism because of his belief he was on a mission. 'Promortalists recognize and seek to minimize suffering rather than embrace misanthropy and amorality,' Keneally says, noting that the writings attributed to Bartkus indicate he rejected the 'sociopath[ic]' tendencies of nihilists' in a May 2025 forum post. Keneally says part of minimizing suffering, in the eyes of an antinatalist, is reducing the human population. In a recording of the aforementioned website, Bartkus reportedly said, ' I am angry that I exist, um, and that, uh, you know, nobody got my consent to bring me here.' Keneally says the suspect's statements and social media posts indicate the bombing was motivated by promortalism, as he may have thought targeting a fertility clinic was preventing new life. ISD analysts don't believe promortalism has been a primary motivator of violence in previous cases it's been linked to, she adds. The bombing comes over a week after ISD released a report about how nihilistic worldviews are fueling violence in the US and Europe. The report found that two prominent nihilistic subcultures, True Crime Community and No Lives Matter, were linked by authorities to nine school shooting plots and two Swedish stabbing attacks in 2024. True Crime Community adherents fawn over school shooters, but rather than focus on their motivations, the fixation is on their personal characteristics, the report says. 'We'll see young girls and young women in these communities online that will create memes and images of shooters with hearts around them, adding their last name to theirs,' Keneally says. Meanwhile, the No Lives Matter camp seeks to replicate violent attacks, often stabbings, to 'supercharge the spread of these ideas through memes, images, clips of music or even color schemes,' the report adds. The No Lives Matter movement also intersects with Satanism, and has ties to the 764 network, which is known for luring children into sextortion. According to the ISD report, the disorganized and ever-changing nature of nihilist ideologies makes it harder to understand and counter. 'Those who carry out nihilistic violence are not seeking to change society or promote a specific ideological outcome,' the report says. 'Instead, perpetrators of these attacks are deeply enmeshed in subcultures that share misanthropic and nihilistic worldviews, promote anti-social behavior and encourage violence as an outlet for their emotions and personal struggles.' The report points to a manifesto left behind by the Madison, Wisconsin school shooter in December, which was called 'War Against Humanity,' as an example of nihilistic-fueled violence. Keneally says people who get wrapped up in these beliefs skew younger; mental illness can also be a predictor. On the website believed to be linked to Bartkus, he said he had borderline personality disorder, a mental health disorder characterized by impulsive behavior and difficulty regulating one's emotions. She said in Bartkus' case, the fact that he posted videos of himself making bombs on YouTube and posted on a pro-suicide forum, suggest that there were warning signs that could have been flagged prior to the bombing. 'There were signals that could have potentially served as a way to disrupt this attack,' she claims.
Hans India
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Operation Sindoor: Karnataka govt cracks down on fake, provocative content online
Bengaluru: In the backdrop of Operation Sindoor and rising tensions between India and Pakistan, the Karnataka government has moved to curb the spread of false and provocative content online. The state Home Ministry is holding a high-level meeting with the Internal Security Division (ISD) and the Department of Information Technology to formulate a response. Home Minister G. Parameshwara, speaking to the media in Bengaluru, said, 'I have convened a meeting with the ISD regarding the growing spread of fake news in the state. IT Minister Priyank Kharge will also be participating.' Parameshwara expressed concern over the circulation of misleading and inflammatory content on social media. "Old videos are being reposted, provocative content is being shared, and false narratives are being pushed. The meeting will focus on identifying technical measures to counter this trend," he added. The move comes as the Karnataka Police filed an FIR on Friday against Muneer Khan Qureshi, a resident of Kumbarpet in Kolar, for allegedly calling the Pahalgam terror attack a "pre-planned act" by the central government. According to police, Qureshi uploaded a YouTube video claiming that the attack, which killed 26 people, was orchestrated to polarise Hindu voters ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections. In a separate incident, a medical college student in Karnataka was booked for allegedly posting a "pro-Pakistan" message on social media. Following public outrage, especially from Hindu organisations, an FIR was registered under Sections 152 (actions endangering India's sovereignty, unity, and integrity) and 197(3)(5) (imputations prejudicial to national integration) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Police said the student later issued a public apology, expressing deep regret. Amid the heightened tensions, Deputy Chief Minister and State Congress President D.K. Shivakumar has appealed to his supporters not to celebrate his birthday on May 15. 'In this sensitive time, when our soldiers are risking their lives to fight terrorism, I request everyone not to celebrate my birthday,' he said. 'I will not be in town that day. Please refrain from visiting my residence or office, and avoid putting up banners or hoardings. Let us stand united in support of our armed forces and pray for their safe return,' he added.
