We are excited to launch a new episode in our series exploring the shifting landscape of digital power. This time, we step into the world of the Data Detectives, where geopolitics, influence, and algorithmic manipulation collide in ways that shape both our newsfeeds and our societies.

At a moment when online spaces have become the battleground for political persuasion, grievance, and manufactured outrage, understanding who is pulling the strings has never been more important.

The new frontline of influence

As data investigator Kyle Findlay told me, social media is no longer a sideshow. It is the new frontier of geopolitical influence. Culture wars, political rivalry, religious anxieties and identity conflicts are now routinely fuelled through coordinated digital activity. Some actors are state sponsored. Others are proxies. Some are simply mischief makers. But the offline consequences are anything but trivial. We have seen digital agitation spill over into riots, political violence and even regime change in fragile environments.

Platforms that once promised a democratised marketplace of ideas have delivered something more complicated. Yes, they have opened access to information in unprecedented ways and made it harder for authoritarians to silence dissent. But the race to trend has brought with it a darker undercurrent. Bad actors have learned to game the algorithms that determine what rises to the top of our feeds, pushing harmful material with remarkable precision.

Following the evidence trail

How do we know this is happening? Because rapid advances in data science have given investigators the tools to capture, analyse and decode online behaviour at scale.

In this episode, I speak to Kyle and his business partner Aldu Cornelissen, who have built a reputation for uncovering the fingerprints of coordinated influence operations. Their work has exposed how networks of accounts, often rewarded financially rather than ideologically, orchestrate campaigns that pose as authentic human engagement.

Digital marketing has always relied on persuasion, but at least the relationship between advertiser and audience is transparent. What Kyle and Aldu uncover is different. These are campaigns that imitate grassroots conversation, hijacking public sentiment while hiding their origins. At a time when democratic debate depends on open and honest exchange, this covert manipulation erodes trust and fractures the public square.

Inside the Data Detectives Lab

In our conversation, the detectives walk us through the mechanics of modern manipulation: the patterns in posting behaviour, the anomalies in account creation, the repetition in messaging, and the giveaways in network structure. They explain how seemingly organic debates can be amplified by coordinated clusters acting together to tilt public perception.

We discuss the tension between robust, legitimate online debate which signals a healthy democracy, and the covert actors stirring the pot for profit or political advantage. And, crucially, we look at what can be done to strengthen resilience, build transparency and protect the integrity of our shared information environment.

Why it matters

This is not merely a tech story. It is a democracy story. As more political and social movements take shape online, the question of who manipulates the conversation is central to public trust. Understanding these dynamics is the first step in defending the digital commons.

Listen to our latest episode of the Data Detectives podcast here:

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