Fact-checking isn't working.
Check Tactics,
Not Just Facts.
TactCheck is a Mastodon-based simulation environment where researchers study how disinformation spreads by examining the tactics, not chasing individual claims. Built with tact.
Why Fact-Checking Falls Short
Too Slow
A correction reaches a fraction of the audience the original lie did. By the time you debunk it, the damage is done.
Whack-a-Mole
Every false claim checked spawns three more. You can't fact-check your way out of an industrial-scale disinformation operation.
Misses the Point
Disinformation works through tactics: emotional manipulation, coordinated amplification, narrative seeding. The individual claim is just the surface.
TactCheck flips the approach: instead of chasing claims, we give researchers a controlled social media environment to study the tactics themselves.
A Research-Grade Simulation Platform
Everything you need to study disinformation tactics in a safe, controllable environment.
Load Scenarios
Set up controlled experiments with pre-built or custom scenarios. Study specific disinformation tactics in isolation or combination.
Import Twitter Archives
Bring in correctly dated Twitter/X datasets and replay real-world events in a safe, sandboxed social media environment.
Simulate a VLOP
Mimic the dynamics of a Very Large Online Platform. See how content spreads, algorithms amplify, and narratives take hold at scale.
Mothbook
A Facebook-like simulation layer. Study platform-specific dynamics (groups, shares, reactions) in a controlled research setting.
AI Bots & Adaptive Cards
Deploy AI-driven bot accounts with world-building adaptive cards. Model coordinated inauthentic behaviour and test detection strategies.
Built on Mastodon
A federated, open-source foundation you can inspect, extend, and trust. Full control over the environment, no black boxes.
Who It's For
TactCheck serves anyone serious about understanding how disinformation actually works.
Researchers & Academics
Run controlled experiments on disinformation spread. Publish reproducible results with full environment control.
Government & Policy Makers
Understand platform manipulation tactics before crafting regulation. Test interventions in a safe sandbox.
Journalists & Fact-Checkers
Go beyond debunking individual claims. Learn to recognise the tactical patterns behind disinformation campaigns.
Educators & Trainers
Build media literacy programmes with hands-on simulations. Let people experience how manipulation works, first-hand.
Ready to Check Tactics?
TactCheck is developed by DROG Group. Get in touch to learn more, request access, or explore how TactCheck fits your research.