Stanford Internet Observatory

The Stanford Internet Observatory (SIO) was a multidisciplinary program for the study of abuse in information technologies, with a focus on social media, established in 2019. It is part of the Stanford Cyber Policy Center, a joint initiative of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and Stanford Law School.[1] The program ended in 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_Internet_Observatory

• Alex Stamos founded the Stanford Internet Observatory in 2019, after leaving Facebook the year before over frustrations that he was not allowed to publish the full account of Russia's influence operations on the platform in the 2016 US Presidential elections.[3] (Russian Interference In The 2016 Election)
• The Stanford Internet Observatory participated in pre-2020 election research focusing on misinformation about election processes and procedures, resulting in a 2021 report that concluded "The 2020 election demonstrated that actors—both foreign and domestic—remain committed to weaponizing viral false and misleading narratives to undermine confidence in the US electoral system and erode Americans’ faith in our democracy".[10]
• SIO co-founded the Election Integrity Partnership (EIP) along with the University of Washington Center for an Informed Public to identify real-time viral falsehoods about election procedures and outcomes. The partnership worked the 2020 and 2022 election cycles and has since concluded their work.
• Disinformation research groups, including the Stanford Internet Observatory, having reported on such topics as the 2020 stolen election claims and COVID-19 vaccine misinformation, had been under attack by GOP resources accusing them of colluding with the US Government and social media outlets of censoring conservative voices. The GOP-led House Judiciary Committee subpoenaed Stanford University for any records or emails with government officials and social media platforms.