ICYMI: July 2026
Account trafficking on Telegram, networked activity from 'active clubs,' an op-ed about transparency, World Cup conspiracy theories, and AI doxxing tools
Hello again from Open Measures. Members of our team recently traveled to San Fransisco for TrustCon 2026, where we connected with trust and safety professionals and learned about the work they’re doing. If you were there and we didn’t get a chance to chat IRL, drop us a line!
Additionally, if you can help us understand what might be going on with this keffiyeh-wrapped Cybertruck we saw in the city, please reach out. We can’t stop thinking about it.
Anyway… here’s a look back at the research we published in July.
Inside the Telegram Ecosystem Selling Compromised and Fake Accounts
We identified more than 5 million Telegram posts advertising the sale of likely compromised or fraudulent accounts for dozens of major US-based technology companies across a variety of sectors – social media, payment processing, artificial intelligence, and more – over the last year.
White Supremacist ‘Active Clubs’ Might Be Less Decentralized Than They Claim
We observed odd posting patterns across 14 Telegram channels linked to white supremacist "active clubs" that suggest the ostensibly decentralized, leaderless groups may be more centrally coordinated than they purport to be.
Without Transparency, Threat Monitoring Tools Are Setting Up Users to Fail
Most online monitoring tools aren’t properly equipped to confront the expansiveness of today’s digital landscape and the array of places threats can emerge. The problem is solvable, but it requires confronting a systemic issue: transparency.
World Cup Conspiracy Theories Surge After FIFA Overturns USA Player’s Suspension
Online skepticism about the integrity of this year’s FIFA World Cup has intensified on several platforms we monitor since tournament officials overturned the suspension of a star player on the United States team following pressure from the Trump Administration.
Users on This Far-Right Imageboard Are Building ‘Fully Autonomous AI Doxxing’ Tools
Users on a niche far-right imageboard dedicated to coordinating online harassment campaigns have spent the last year developing artificial intelligence tools meant to help them surface private personal information for the targets of their abuse – a practice colloquially known as “doxing."
What We’re Reading:
The MAGA Media Machine Is Fracturing (The New York Times)
Hostility Against Local Officials Is Continuing at Elevated Levels in 2026, Disproportionately Impacting Women, Minority, and New Officeholders (Bridging Divides Initiative)
Instant Access to Trump’s Thoughts Now Costs $100,000 a Month (Mother Jones)
Google Earth’s New AI Lets Anyone Fabricate Completely Bullshit Satellite Images (404 Media)
Before you go…
Recent news reports about MAGA figures (including a teleprompter operator) placing wagers on “prediction market” platforms has us thinking about this piece we ran in March.