influence operations

All Politics Are Local, Until There's a Foreign Megaphone (Alethea)

A July 2026 research report from risk intelligence firm Alethea documenting how Russian, Chinese, and Iranian state media, covert influence operations, and AI-generated content farms amplified genuine local opposition to U.S. data center construction between January and June 2026. The findings were featured in The New York Times. Alethea is a commercial firm publishing its own research; the report is free to read.

Why I recommend it: Two things are true at once here: local opposition to data centers is real, and foreign actors are amplifying it. Useful reading for anyone working in policy, infrastructure, or community advocacy — and a case study in how AI-generated content scales a narrative.