---
title: "Dozens of Countries Are Deploying Propaganda on Social Media"
description: "Oxford researchers found that at least 70 countries have sponsored campaigns that spread favorable propaganda across the internet."
date: "2019-09-26"
modified: "2019-09-26"
authors:
  - name: "Dan Robitzski"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/danrobitzski"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/countries-sponsor-propaganda-social-media"
categories:
  - "Future Society"
tags:
  - "facebook"
  - "propaganda"
  - "the digest"
---

# Dozens of Countries Are Deploying Propaganda on Social Media

![Oxford researchers found that at least 70 countries have sponsored campaigns that spread favorable propaganda across the internet.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/countries-sponsor-propaganda-social-media.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Architect of the Capitol/Victor Tangermann\</em\>*

## Global Effort

At least 70 countries around the world have sponsored political disinformation campaigns, spreading propaganda across social media and other outlets, according to a new bombshell investigation.

Of those countries, 56 organized targeted propaganda campaigns on Facebook, *[The New York Times](<https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/26/technology/government-disinformation-cyber-troops.html>)*[ reports](<https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/26/technology/government-disinformation-cyber-troops.html>). If we want to [wipe social media clean](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/ukraine-run-pro-trump-facebook-page-1-million-followers>) of fake news and propaganda, it'll be an uphill battle when powerful governments are the culprits.

## Computational Propaganda

The inclination to shape public opinion through AI algorithms, big data, and other automated tools is becoming ubiquitous, [according to the report](<https://comprop.oii.ox.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/93/2019/09/CyberTroop-Report19.pdf>), which was published Thursday by Oxford University researchers.

The researchers found that political parties or federal governments in 70 countries have used social media to [spread propaganda](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/british-army-viral-content-division>) and political disinformation at one point or another. In 2018, 48 countries did.

## Easy Access

Most troubling, the Oxford researchers told the *NYT*, is the pace at which these propaganda techniques have proliferated around the world.

"Social media technology tends to empower propaganda and disinformation in really new ways," reporter co-author Samantha Bradshaw of the Oxford Internet Institute told the *NYT*.

That means that Facebook's attempts to quell disinformation by focusing on microtargeted advertisements will only address one part of the problem. Facebook's entire structure could be facilitating the spread of misinformation — so stronger actions may be needed to keep it down.

**READ MORE:** [At Least 70 Countries Have Had Disinformation Campaigns, Study Finds](<https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/26/technology/government-disinformation-cyber-troops.html>) \[*The New York Times*\]

**More on disinformation campaigns:** *[Ukraine-Run Pro-Trump Facebook Page Has Over 1.1 Million Followers](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/ukraine-run-pro-trump-facebook-page-1-million-followers>)*

## Author
Dan Robitzki is a senior reporter for Futurism, where he likes to cover AI, tech ethics, and medicine. He spends his extra time fencing and streaming games from Los Angeles, California.

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://x.com/danrobitzski>)