August 8, 2024

by Ana Romero Vicente, EU DisinfoLab

The EU DisinfoLab has authored a document under the EU funded veraAI project entitled ‘Revisit the Coordinated Inauthentic Behaviour detection tree’ (pdf).

The present document revisits the Coordinated Inauthentic Behaviour (CIB) detection tree we developed in 2021: 1) The Coordination Assessment; 2) The Source Assessment, 3) The Impact Assessment, and 4) The Authenticity Assessment.

The four branches have been streamlined into one comprehensive document and thoroughly examined their current status alongside the CIB definition. Moreover, the paper reflects on how the new AI technologies can impact CIB creation and detection.

CIB is generally acknowledged but definitions are still left at the platforms’ discretion, while EU regulation does not provide a specific one. We advocate for a holistic approach, targeting the falsification of content distribution and amplification in a coordinated, non-organic way, regardless of whether it involves authentic or fake accounts, automated or not. 

The publication aims to assist the defender community in identifying CIB and developing strategies to mitigate its effects. Although CIB cannot be diagnosed instantly, a collection of symptoms can indicate its presence. This document presents, in a straightforward and visual manner, the elements that may signify coordinated efforts, suggest inauthenticity, identify the sources of such behaviour, and evaluate its distribution and impact. Additionally, it provides a set of tools for detecting CIB and outlines their applicability throughout the different branches.

This publication was authored under the veraAI project, and originally published here: https://www.veraai.eu/posts/report-revisit-coordinated-inauthentic-behaviour-detection-tree