Craig Silverman
Contact this reporter at craig.silverman@buzzfeed.com
These Hugely Popular Local News Sites In The US And Canada Are Fake
A network of fake local news sites generated millions of pageviews as part of an ad fraud scheme, researchers say.
The Buffalo Chronicle Ran Facebook Ads Promoting Dubious Trudeau Stories
The Buffalo Chronicle paid to promote two of its highly dubious stories about Justin Trudeau.
The Canadian Election’s Surprise Influencer Is A Buffalo Man Targeting Canadians With Viral Disinformation
Matthew Ricchiazzi has written debunked stories about Canadian politics and once told a US candidate he'd publish "negative articles about [their] opponents" for $400 apiece.
A US Ad Agency Was Behind Those Fake Ads Featuring Marilyn Denis, Mike Holmes, And Ron McLean
Ads Inc., which is shutting down in the wake of a BuzzFeed News Investigation, used the images of some of Canada's biggest TV stars as part of a massive Facebook scam.
How A Massive Facebook Scam Siphoned Millions Of Dollars From Unsuspecting Boomers
From San Diego to the Philippines, a Republican digital marketing entrepreneur created one of the biggest Facebook scams of all time.
The International Business Times India Has Been Caught Using Deceptive Ad Practices Yet Again
IBT India says it fired the employee responsible, but denies it committed ad fraud.
How Oil Industry Videos Have Skirted Canadian Campaign Disclosure Rules
A group backed by the Alberta oil industry spent half a million dollars on videos denouncing pipeline protesters — but stopped promoting them right before it would have been required to register with Elections Canada.
Google Removed Dozens Of Android Apps From A Major Chinese Developer Due To "Deceptive Or Disruptive Ads"
This is the third time in recent months that Google has mass-removed apps from a big Chinese developer due to ad violations.
Canada's Liberal Party Is Outspending Conservatives Nearly 3 To 1 On Facebook And Instagram
Since July 1, the Liberals have spent $738,715 in advertising on Facebook and Instagram, and the Conservative party has spent $251,303.
These “Canadian” Websites And Facebook Pages Are Actually Run From Overseas
Some of the websites use fake profile photos for their writers, while others spread false information.
Exclusive: Funders Have Given Facebook A Deadline To Share Data With Researchers Or They’re Pulling Out
Facebook has to provide key data by Sept. 30.
Facebook Said It Would Give Detailed Data To Academics. They’re Still Waiting.
“I think the only way to feel reasonably confident about this project is if you ignore what’s happened over the past 16 months.”
Matt Drudge Has Barely Changed Anything About The Drudge Report In The Last 20 Years. This Summer, He Upended Its Advertising Business.
A change to the secretive publisher’s business has revealed new details about his operation and is attracting scrutiny from the ad industry.
The Philippines Was A Test Of Facebook’s New Approach To Countering Disinformation. Things Got Worse.
Disinformation campaigns in the Philippines ahead of its 2016 election offered a preview of things to come to the United States. History may be repeating itself in 2020.
A Set Of Facebook Pages Promoting Conservatives And Attacking Justin Trudeau Are Run By A Post Millennial Staffer
“Either you’re a journalistic outlet where you have standards ... or you’re an advocacy group, in which case then at least you need to be transparent.”
A New Wave Of Canadian Partisan Media Is Invading Your Facebook Feed
Canadian partisan media are reaching more people than ever before, and at times eclipsing big national media on Facebook.
What To Do If The Older People In Your Life Are Sharing False Or Extreme Content
“What do you do when your parents go from posting Minions to posting hard-right memes about cement milkshakes?”
Exclusive: Google Banned Major Chinese App Developer CooTek From The Play Store And Its Ad Platforms
CooTek apps continued to bombard users with disruptive ads even after the company said it had stopped.
Trump’s Favorite Meme-Maker Adopted A Fake Name To Go On Trump’s Favorite TV Network
The pro-Trump cable news channel used a fake identity for a pseudonymous meme-maker.