Isabel Linzer

New report alert!!! Zoe Tzanis, Sam Woolley, and I took the model of how the political influencer industry functions that we've built in our heads and put it down on paper for everyone to see. cdt.org/insights/pai...

Post Edited: “Paid to Post: Mapping the Political Influencer Industry” https://electionlawblog.org/2026/paid-to-post-mapping-the-political-influencer-industry/

As the 2026 midterms rapidly approach, voters should be prepared for familiar election misinformation, from false claims about noncitizen voting to rumors about voting machines and election results.

Really looking forward to this half-day conference on Thursday, and speaking about AI and the elections world are colliding this cycle with @liamerivaki.bsky.social @jatucker.bsky.social and more! kgi.georgetown.edu/events/ai-le...

Awesome job alert! Senior Policy Counsel, CDT's Free Expression Project: cdt.org/careers/#op-...

The Free Expression Team at CDT is hiring for a senior counsel. Come work with us! cdt.org/careers/#op-...

I’m going to start a thread on our election work today. Today, we’ll be publishing a deep dive into Alaska rumors & following the DOJ’s latest efforts (in WA) to craft an illusion of widespread non-citizen voting, using arrests, press releases & threats to states as “pseudo events” to grab attention

Our election research team put out an article today explaining how the prediction markets (e.g. Kalshi, Polymarket) — and social media posts featuring visualizations from those platforms — may feed election rumors & conspiracy theories around the U.S. midterms: uwcip.substack.com/p/what-to-kn...

Here's our team's "election rumor rundown" for yesterday. It was a busy day with reports of machine glitches and mail-in ballot concerns. These (mostly real) issues were spun into false rumors that suggested they were intentional efforts to tilt election results. uwcip.substack.com/p/fa68f983-1...

This lack of transparency makes it difficult for voters to know who is funding political content and can create openings for covert foreign influence. Explore the report and Political Influencer Industry Map:

Political creators can receive anywhere from a few dollars to more than $30,000 per post. Behind the scenes, campaigns, consultants, and marketing agencies may shape messaging, coordinate posts, and boost engagement, while partnerships and payments often remain hidden from the public.

Who’s behind the political content influencers share online? In a new report, CDT map the political influencer industry. The research draws on years of study and 30+ interviews with industry insiders. cdt.org/insights/pai... Authors: Isabel Linzer, Zoe Tzanis, and Samuel Woolley.

Undisclosed political post campaigns are adopting the influencer-style street interview, blurring the lines of what CIB traditionally looks like www.nytimes.com/2026/10/19/b...

This is horrific. Livestream it where? This should violate every major platform’s policies.

Shot/chaser, Levitsky & Way edition Shot: US squarely in the competitive authoritarian category Chaser: But the regime is unlikely to consolidate muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/articl...

In addition to a having an abysmal human rights record to begin with, it seems like a good time to point out that Equatorial Guinea is a known perpetrator of transnational repression. So are the origin states of the people discussed in this article (Egypt + Eritrea) www.nytimes.com/2026/09/18/w...

Apple's new authenticity infrastructure, Reference Image, is "a serious piece of engineering, and a genuine response to the epistemic crisis of AI", but a start not an end-point. I reflect on lessons from the field, unanswered questions and next-step needs. www.techpolicy.press/will-apples-...

And most of these ads are more parody than deepfake. They exaggerate features or behavior in a way that has been going on in politics for centuries says @isabelalinzer.bsky.social.

Nationwide, the number of these ads is surging. At least $80 million dollars have been spent on AI ads so far this cycle, and the project has found 164 ads that were generated or enhanced by AI. mediaproject.wesleyan.edu/releases-090...

NEW: As the 2026 midterms move into full swing, campaigns are flooding the airwaves and web with AI generated advertisements... 🧵 www.npr.org/2026/09/16/n...

I really enjoyed speaking with @gbrumfiel.bsky.social about AI political ads. It's a nuanced topic - they're both a continuation of the proud tradition of political satire, and something new. Read or listen here (feat. some prime examples I hadn't previously seen): www.npr.org/2026/09/16/n...

When @alibreland.bsky.social told me about a Latvia-based US politics clipping campaign with a budget of 300k/month, my jaw hit the floor. It's a tactic many have suspected, but the documentation here (of many such efforts) is next level: www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

Linzer in Linz🫡 really looking forward to this session!

Hello tech policy researchers!!! The @cdt.org Non-Resident Fellows Program is now open for applications: cdt.org/careers/#op-...

Thank you @willoremus.com for this cathartic read www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...

CDT’s Bogen: "The more a system knows about you, the easier it will be to make escalating requests for private details in a way that feels natural. Without robust privacy protections, the incentive to monetize that knowledge will be hard to resist."

We uncovered a string of drastic measures taken to prove President Trump’s claims about election fraud. The administration reassigned scores of Homeland Security agents to investigate leads on illegal voting – and ultimately delivered scant results. NEW: www.propublica.org/article/nonc...

Read this cdt.org/insights/faq...

While you're awaiting the president's remarks this evening about election security, read this FAQ on voting system vulnerabilities from Geoff Hale: cdt.org/insights/faq...

Ahead of tonight’s presidential speech and the expected release of declassified intelligence on voting system security vulnerabilities, context matters. CDT’s new FAQ explains why vulnerabilities alone are not evidence that elections were altered.

National Intelligence Council 2021 report directly contradicts Trump's lies about alleged Chinese interference: “We assess that China did not deploy interference efforts and considered but did not deploy influence efforts intended to change the outcome of the US presidential election"

In anticipation of Trump's press conference on alleged election interference tomorrow, we're doing an early release of our "Rigged Election" Bingo game. Which worn out tropes will he and his operatives roll out (again) tomorrow? Create your own card to play along. bingo.cip.uw.edu/s/92d3739d-2...

While you're awaiting the president's remarks this evening about election security, read this FAQ on voting system vulnerabilities from Geoff Hale: cdt.org/insights/faq...

⚽ As the FIFA World Cup unfolds, the biggest battles aren't just happening on the pitch. Online abuse, AI-generated content, and shrinking Trust & Safety teams are putting players & fans at greater risk. In a new blog, CDT's @aliyabhatia.bsky.social explores what's at stake.

I'm delighted to share my collection of 50 magazine covers on privacy from the 1950s to the present. danielsolove.substack.com/p/privacy-ma...

People say DC has no culture but my workout class instructor just used an Eminem playlist to explain her anti-Iraq War awakening AND walk us through the proper role of the FCC, so

Fascinating to see this Nature editorial about the need to adapt to an influencer-mediated information environment: www.nature.com/articles/d41...

They make money whether you win or lose. They get paid to hype products whether you benefit or not. The FTC has rules but doesn’t enforce. “We are the media now” but ethics are secondary. I spoke to Politico for this story ab undisclosed influencer partnerships. www.politico.com/news/2026/06...