Reports of the DISINFOHACK 2026 Winners

It is our great pleasure to present the reports prepared by the winners of the DISINFOHACK 2026 competition.

The winning reports were selected from 18 entries submitted to the competition. Despite addressing very different issues, they all present thoughtful, thorough and professional approach to the topics they explore.

Team 1 – War of Trust: The White Coat as a Weapon of Health Disinformation (Justyna Urbanek, Monika Chabrowska, Arkadiusz Wzorek, Marcin Merchel, and Paweł Dowgiert, supervised by Paulina Piasecka, PhD)
The report examines how health-related disinformation and misleading commercial content gain credibility. The authors identified what they call the “architecture of trust”. Through three case studies, the authors demonstrate how users are guided from health concerns to commercial decisions by a carefully constructed communication pathway. The study argues that false credibility is a powerful manipulation tool. Consequently, effective monitoring of health disinformation should not be limited to assessing factual accuracy but should also monitor the broader trust-building mechanisms surrounding the message.
→ Download the report [PL]

Team 12 – YouTube Recommendation Algorithms and Informational Isolation Among Young Adults (Weronika Gruszka, Michał Klimontko, Weronika Michalska, Zofia Moric, and Piotr Sączewski, supervised by Paweł Pawłowski, PhD)
The report investigates the potential contribution of the YouTube’s recommendation algorithm to informational isolation among Polish young adults aged 18–24. The authors found that the platform systematically promotes polarising content, with more than one quarter of the analysed videos classified as strongly polarising or containing disinformation-related elements. By using purposefully crafted personas, the authors identified significant differences in recommendations based on user gender. These patterns may contribute to the formation of information bubbles and reinforce gender-based polarisation. The study also shows how content creators selectively use scientific research and emotionally charged narratives to influence audiences and strengthen existing biases. The report concludes that greater media literacy and increased transparency of recommendation systems are necessary to mitigate the risks associated with algorithmic polarisation.
→ Download the report [PL]

Team 20 – Analysis of strajkpolski.org and Associated Websites in the Context of Disinformation Threats (Agata Lubkiewicz, Oliwia Cieślik, Oliwia Paciorek, Aleksandra Włudarczyk, and Matylda Springer, supervised by Piotr Sosnowski, PhD)
The report analyses the website strajkpolski[.]org and its associated infrastructure in the context of emerging disinformation threats. The investigation identified strong economic motives, including attempts to obtain funds through a fake online store, misuse of a popular YouTuber’s brand, and crowdfunding mechanisms linked to an alleged strike initiative. At the same time, the analysis highlights the potential use of AI-related technologies, including MCP packages that could contribute to so-called “LLM grooming” and the poisoning of AI systems. The report argues that such hybrid activities blur the line between financial fraud and information influence operations. However, the authors conclude that the examined case should be viewed primarily as an incident rather than a fully developed disinformation operation.
→ Download the report [PL]

We invite you to explore the award-winning reports (they are in Polish). Please note that the reports published here were prepared by the winning teams of the DISINFOHACK competition for educational and research purposes. The content, opinions, interpretations, and conclusions presented in the reports are those of their respective authors. They do not represent the official position of NASK and should not be regarded as reflecting NASK’s views.