In crisis scenarios, there is an amplification of mis and disinformation, censorship, digital influence and the control of information flows. However, far from being the problem, technology is critical to promoting transparency and freedom of expression and making balanced and accurate information accessible to all. This list of resources includes articles, opinion pieces and reports on how dis and misinformation have impacted the crisis and guides and tips to help you navigate the complex information landscape.
In The Loop, Gaza-Israel Crisis - Special Edition
12 minutes read | First published: October 31, 2023
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HOW DOES TECHNOLOGY IMPACT THE WAY WE UNDERSTAND AND RESPOND TO CRISIS?
In times of crisis, digital technologies play a critical role in shaping our comprehension of unfolding events and our subsequent responses to the world's challenges. They serve as a beacon of hope, empowering us to proactively prepare for unforeseen circumstances, fix what is fixable, strategize escape routes, and envision alternative futures. In some instances, technology instills a sense of control, as long as we act collectively. In contrast, in other cases, technology can complicate matters, drawing us into a mire of confusion and information disorder. To delve deeper into the intricate interplay between technologies and crises, we invite you to explore the insights available at our Everything Will Be Fine project.
This is a curated list of resources on the Gaza-Israel crisis. We will continue monitoring the resources through our 'In The Loop' Newsletter.
MIS/DISINFORMATION AND INFORMATION CONTROL 🔍
Misinformation in times of crisis
[ARTICLE 📝] Disinformation surge threatens to fuel Israel-Hamas conflict. By Reuters. Go to source.
[ANALYSIS 🔎] ‘Verified’ OSINT Accounts Are Destroying the Israel-Palestine Information Ecosystem. By 404 Media. Go to source.
[REPORT 📚] Telecommunications blackout in the Gaza Strip is an attack on human rights. By Access Now. Go to source.
[ARTICLE 📝] Video game clips and old videos are flooding social media about Israel and Gaza. By NPR. Go to source.
[ARTICLE 📝] Old Twitter vs X: Israel-Gaza war spotlights 'information crisis'. By France24. Go to source.
[ARTICLE 📝] India’s Digital Footprint on the Israel-Gaza War. By The Diplomat. Go to source.
[ARTICLE 📝] Israel-Gaza conflict: when social media fakes are rampant, news verification is vital. By The Conversation. Go to source.
[ARTICLE 📝] Israel-Hamas war: Social media platforms caught up in accusations of 'partisan' moderation. By Le Monde. Go to source.
[OPINION 🗣️] A.I. Muddies Israel-Hamas War in Unexpected Way - Fakes related to the conflict have been limited and largely unconvincing, but their presence has people doubting real evidence. By The New York Times. Go to source.
[OPINION 🗣️] Generative AI Is Playing a Surprising Role in Israel-Hamas Disinformation. By Wired. Go to source.
[ARTICLE 📝] Deconstructing the “beheaded babies” misinformation. By Global Voices. Go to source.
[ARTICLE 📝] Don’t believe everything you see and hear about Israel and Palestine. Misinformation about the Israel-Hamas war is easy to find online. Here’s how to avoid spreading it. By Vox. Go to source.
[ARTICLE 📝] How to avoid misinformation about the war in Gaza. The war between Israel and Hamas has created the perfect circumstances for misinformation to accelerate online. By Poynter. Go to source.
[GUIDE/PODCAST 🎧] Breaking News Consumer's Handbook: Israel and Gaza Edition: . It's a single printable page of red flags and warning signs, plus a guide for what to expect and watch out for in the coverage of a particular breaking story. By WNYC Studios. Go to source.
Breaking News Consumer's Handbook: Israel and Gaza Edition (Andrea Latimer/WNYC). Screenshot taken from the article Breaking News Consumer's Handbook: Israel and Gaza Edition
[TIPS ☑️] How to spot fake news during Israel-Hamas war. The conflict between Israel and Hamas has been marked by a wave of disinformation online. DW's fact-checking team offers some advice on how to distinguish what's true and what's false. By DW. Go to source.
RESOURCES ON HOW TO COVER AND DOCUMENT CRISIS 🧰
[TIPS ☑️] Tipsheet for Investigative Journalists on War Crimes and What Is Legal in War. By GIJN.Go to source.
[GUIDE 📚] GIJN Reporter’s Guide to Investigating War Crimes. By GIJN. Go to source.
[TIPS ☑️] Safe coverage in the Israel-Gaza conflict. By WAN-IFRA. Go to source.
[TIPS ☑️] Simple Tips for Verifying if a Tweet Screenshot Is Real or Fake. By GIJN. Go to source.
[RESOURCES 💡] Gaza: Safety Advisory for journalists covering the war - IFJ. By IFJ. Go to source.
[RESOURCES 💡] Practical safety guidance for freelance, and local journalists and newsrooms. By Acos Alliance.Go to source.
[ORGANISATION ⭐] Mnemonic works globally to help human rights defenders effectively use digital documentation of human rights violations and international crimes to support advocacy, justice and accountability. Go to source.
[TIPS ☑️] Tips and resources for covering the Israel-Gaza conflict. By IJNET.Go to source.
TACTICAL TECH TOOLS AND RESOURCES 🧰
Tactical Tech is committed to developing resources, materials, and interventions that delve into the profound impact of technologies on both individuals and society. One of our primary objectives is to provide people with the necessary knowledge and tools to identify disinformation and misinformation, equipping them with the skills to verify information effectively. On the other hand, through our projects, we aim to contribute to the field of investigation by providing practical tools, methodologies and practices that empower individuals to investigate and document various situations. Here are a few examples:
ON DIS- AND MISINFORMATION, FACT- CHECKING AND INFLUENCE
[DIGITAL EXHIBITION 🖼️] The Glass Room Misinformation Edition. This exhibition explores what misinformation is, why it’s shared and how it spreads. Find out how we, the individual users, take part through our many clicks, likes and shares. And understand how misinformation becomes normalised, and how the decisions made by the gatekeepers of technologies can influence our behaviours and opinions. Find the exhibition here in English and 14+ languages.
Video created by the Tactical Tech communications team using the resources of The Glass Room Misinformation edition
[INTERVIEW 🎙️] Busting the Viral: Fact-checking on social media. An interview with three groups and organisations working on fact-checking: Africa Check, Stop Fake and Verify Syria.
[WORKSHOP OUTLINE 🧑🏫] How to Track Disinformation Networks. This workshop introduces the basics of networked disinformation and manipulation campaigns, helping participants acquire a methodology for discovering, mapping and tracking networks of disinformation in different languages and contexts.
The Digital Enquirer Kit 💻
The Digital Enquirer Kit is an e-learning course that guides learners through lessons on how to prevent the spread of misinformation. We especially recommend two modules:
✅ Module - Identifying and Responding to Misinformation. In this module, you’ll focus on misinformation — how it looks, how it is spread, and how you can tackle it, all while grounding yourself in habits and practices that will keep you safe. You’ll also explore how technology is used to influence what you feel, see, and believe, and what you can do about it. Follow the chapters:
Screenshot of the Module Identifying and Responding to Misinformation of the Digital Enquirer Kit
Screenshot of the Module Identifying and Responding to Misinformation of the Digital Enquirer Kit
✅ Module-Verifying Online Information In this module, you’ll take the next step in developing your Digital Enquirer Mindset: how to verify trustworthy information, and measures you can take to stay safe and organized when researching online. Follow the chapters:
[GUIDE 📝] 6 Tips To Steer Clear of Misinformation Online. Today, recognising misinformation, hoaxes, intentionally misleading or poorly researched content, and unreliable sources while getting information online is more important than ever. These are simple steps to ask critical questions and stay vigilant.
[GUIDE 📝] Is What You See Really What You Get? Explore visual misinformation. How can you ensure what you see is reliable? Visual misinformation is easy to create, like cropping a photo to change its context. This guide helps you recognise visual misinformation and verify what you see. Read the guide.
[LEARNING HUB 💻] The Influence Industry Project - Learning Hub. Have you ever received political ads while scrolling on social media or watching a video online, and you wonder why? Check the Influence Industry Learning Hub to understand better the tools political actors use to disseminate certain information and convince and influence people's opinions.
The Influence Industry Project - Learning Hub. Visual by Tactical Tech communications
ON HOW TO COVER AND DOCUMENT CRISIS
[GUIDE 📚] More than Meets the Eye: Geolocating Images Using Creativity and SunCalc. Geolocation means finding the real world location of an object, such as the place where a photograph or a video was taken. Determining the exact location of where and when an image was taken can be critical for an investigation as it can often provide useful evidence to verify and corroborate other pieces of your story's puzzle.
[ARTICLE 📝] Data at First Sight: Telling the human story through numbers. Good stories are relatable. They speak to the reader. Stories that have data at the centre are no different. But at first sight, data on a spreadsheet can often feel impersonal, unrelatable and distant. So how do you make numbers resonate with the reader?
[ARTICLE 📝] Risk Assessment Is a Mindset, Not a Checklist. Conducting investigations is risky. Unfortunately, individual investigators rarely have the resources and guidance to comprehensively assess and mitigate their risks, especially if they work independently, as freelancers or in small groups that don’t benefit from the constant support and resources of a newsroom or organisation. This article provides a brief introduction to the concept of risk and presents a practical method to help individuals or small teams manage the risks of their investigation.
Exposing the Invisible - The Kit 🗂️
The Exposing the Invisible - Kitis a collaborative, self-learning resource that makes investigative techniques and tools used by experienced investigators more accessible to people and communities who feel motivated to start their own investigations, collect and verify information, build evidence and create a better understanding of issues without losing sight of ethical or safety considerations. Available in EN, FR, ES, PT. We especially recommend the following chapters:
Banner of the Exposing the Invisible.The Kit
- Evaluating Evidence and Information Sources. You’ve identified and collected information that may serve as evidence in your investigation. What next? - Learn how to analyse and verify it as well as how to evaluate your information sources to be able to assess the reliability of your findings. Go to chapter.
- Get Your Facts Straight: The Basics of Fact-Checking. When we talk about evidence we mean facts - proven, verified, transparent, accountable information and methods of finding it. Learn from a practitioner on what it means to fact-check every piece of information you find and intend to use, and get prepared to do so even if you aren’t part of an organization or lack the resources to get more specialised support. Go to chapter.
- OSINT – Diving into an ‘Ocean’ of Information. A look at how combining different openly available information sources can lead to meaningful results in your investigation, using what is known as open source intelligence. Go to chapter.
- Geolocation Methods: A step by step guide. This guide takes you through a detailed process of geolocating photos and videos, moving from basic to more advanced techniques and skills. You will learn about different tools that can help with geolocation as well as experience them in action with different case studies that we will solve step by step. By the end of the guide, you will be able to practice and replicate these examples using your internet access and the freely available online tools we introduce below. Go to chapter.
OTHER USEFUL TACTICAL TECH RESOURCES
➡️ Data Detox Kit. The Data Detox Kit’s clear suggestions and concrete steps help people harness all aspects of their online lives, making more informed choices and changing their digital habits in ways that suit them.
➡️ Holistic Security. A strategy manual to help human rights defenders maintain their well-being in action. The holistic approach integrates self-care, well-being, digital security, and information security into traditional security management practices.
➡️ The Organiser’s Activity Book. A self-learning resource from Tactical Tech’s Data and Activism project. The book is a collection of playful exercises for organisers within civil society who work with the personal data of human rights defenders, investigators, campaigners, and others who are taking part in social or political action.
Visual by Tactical Tech communications office
➡️ Security In A Box. This resource primarily aims to help a global community of human rights defenders whose work puts them at risk. It has been recognized worldwide as a foundational resource for helping people at risk protect their digital security and privacy.
➡️ Data and Activism. An applied research project examining the impact of data collection and profiling on human rights defenders, activists and networks.
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