What Iran’s Internet Blackout and the Patagonia Fires Revealed About Global Disinformation

Cars burn in a street during a protest over the collapse of the currency’s value, in Tehran, Iran, Jan. 8, 2026. Photo: Stringer/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS

The lie that raced across social media during Argentina’s recent Patagonia wildfires was not just grotesque. It was revealing.

Within hours, recycled images and viral posts blamed Israelis for igniting the fires. The language was familiar: vague references to “foreign states,” insinuations of coordination, and the...