John Gray

John directs research, analysis, and program implementation focused on identifying, exposing, and countering state and non-state-sponsored propaganda and information operations. One of the top specialists working at the forefront of disinformation analysis, his research and tools are widely used by governments, journalists, and civil society organizations to understand and counter digital disinformation.

John served as Senior Program Manager for DCC's U.S. Department of State–sponsored Information Access Fund, a program designed to identify, debunk, and counter Russian propaganda and malign disinformation campaigns across Eastern and Western Europe. In this capacity, he directed analytical research and managed sub-grants to frontline European media outlets, think tanks, and civil society organizations. He trained local teams to detect bots, analyze narratives, and build resilience against Kremlin-backed campaigns. His fieldwork and research include exposing Assad-aligned social media networks targeting humanitarian organizations in Syria, co-authoring research on Russian hashtag tactics presented at the American Political Science Association and collaborating with Reuters journalist Steve Stecklow on "Hatebook" investigation, which contributed to Reuters' reporting on Myanmar and was recognized with a 2019 Pulitzer Prize.

John also serves as a Senior Data Analyst with Global Affairs Canada, where he focuses on foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI), open-source intelligence, and analytic capacity building in support of democratic institutions. He previously co-founded and served as CEO of Mentionmapp Analytics, a Canadian technology firm that developed tools to map social media networks and identify coordinated manipulation, including automated bot activity. His analysis of network manipulation during the 2016 U.S. election led him to focus full time on countering foreign influence operations. As a visiting fellow with the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab, Gray analyzed foreign interference in Canada's 2018 federal election and served as co-chair of the Credibility Coalition's Misinfosec Working Group.

John joined Georgetown University's Information Warfare Working Group in 2019 and was selected as one of nine teams in the U.S. Department of State's Boldline Accelerator, supporting the development of tools to address global information threats.