The Disinformation Dozen: An Exploratory Analysis of Covid-19 Disinformation Proliferation on Twitter

Abstract

Shortly after the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19), the United Nations declared an infodemic due to an unprecedented amount of false information spreading about Covid-19. A study made by the center for countering digital hate found out that twelve individuals, referred to as Disinformation Dozen (Disinfo12), were responsible for 65% of Covid-19 misinformation circulating on social media. Given the Disinfo12’s detrimental impact in spreading misinformation, in this work, we perform an exploratory analysis on Disinfo12’s activity on Twitter aiming at identifying their sharing strategies, favorite sources of information, and potential secondary actors contributing to the proliferation of questionable narratives. In our study, we uncovered the distinctive facets that allowed Disinfo12 to act as primary sources of information, and we recognized that YouTube represent one of the favorite information sources to spread questionable narratives and conspiracy theories. Finally, we recognized that right-leaning accounts are embedded in Disinfo12’s community and represent the main spreaders of content generated by the Disinformation Dozen.