The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris have been full of memorable moments - but with the world watching, opportunities for disinformation are rampant.

Graphika Senior Analyst Cristina López appeared on Univision to discuss what our team has observed in this area and the impact on public perception of the games. She cited examples such as non-existent newspaper covers claiming athletes had fallen ill after swimming in the Siene and controversies such as the delegitimizing, gender-based claims related to Algerian boxer Imane Khelif's participation in the games.

On Russian motivation behind creation of misleading content, Cristina shared that:

What we have seen is how Russia has used the Olympics as a way to amplify false news. Although it is very difficult to know what lies behind the intentions of different individuals, what we do know is that Russia tends to use controversial topics to amplify already existing divisions. So, while these things may not change anyone's perspective or opinion, they will reinforce those prejudices that different political views already have, exacerbating polarization.

And on the potential effects of disinformation occurances from the Olympics and their ability to create division, Cristina noted that it's important to "always have the emergency break on," adding that:

As soon as we see that a topic generates an emotional impulse in us, it’s because it is striking a chord, it’s because it’s trying to create controversy...I think it’s always worth waiting for our trusted media to report and investigate. And those people who have more to lose, like journalists, media, and information outlets, we should let them report before we share what we see different accounts, which we don’t know much about, are sharing regarding controversial topics. I think in this case, skepticism is our best weapon to avoid being the useful idiots of disinformation actors.

For more, give the full segment a watch below:

To see why organizations around the world look to Graphika for social media intelligence, schedule a custom demo with a member of our team.