Information Environment Overview, October 2026: Manipulated Images Increasingly Used in Online Discussions

During the two-month review period, two inauthentic campaigns were identified, along with numerous indications of smaller-scale inauthentic activities. However, these are not assessed to have had any impact on societal information security or security of supply.

The ”Russia Is Not an Enemy” campaign, which had already been active last year, re-emerged in several European countries in September and also spread to Finland. The campaign involved the use of fake and bot accounts to manipulate the visibility of posts. Compared to other European countries, however, the campaign attracted only limited attention in Finland, and campaign-related posts ceased in early October. The second identified inauthentic campaign was linked to online scams.

The widespread adoption of AI models has made it easier than ever to create convincing manipulated images. Image manipulation is increasingly common not only in ordinary online discussions but also in inauthentic influence operations.

The NESA Information Analysis Group produces information environment assessments every two months. A brief summary of each assessment is published on NESA’s website. Detailed findings are security-classified and are therefore not publicly available.