Tim Weninger
Computer Science and Engineering
Frank M. Friemann Collegiate Associate Professor of Engineering
- Web and Social Media
- Disinformation & fake news
- Data mining
- Machine learning
Weninger’s Latest News
Weninger in the News
The New York Times
Right-Wing Activists Urge Followers to Expose Those Celebrating Kirk Killing
September 12, 2025
Tim Weninger, a professor at the University of Notre Dame who studies the ways social media is used to dehumanize people and incite violence, described the targeting campaign as a new front in online rhetoric. “I haven’t seen something like this on social media in America, really ever — it’s a unique moment,” he said.
Reuters
Kirk’s death prompts shock, grief across Gen Z ideological lines
September 12, 2025
Americans in their 20s often hear about news events through podcasts and livestreamed video rather than television, said Tim Weninger, a University of Notre Dame professor who studies social media algorithms.
The Conversation
Memes and conflict: Study shows surge of imagery and fakes can precede international and political violence
April 24, 2025
By Tim Weninger Collegiate Proessor of Engineering, and Ernesto Verdeja Associate Professor of Peace Studies and Global Politics at the University of Notre Dame.
BBC News
What explains the fascination on social media for Luigi Mangione, suspected of killing CEO in NY
December 13, 2024
"It seems to be an organic movement, people are genuinely frustrated with the health system," social media expert Tim Weninger, a professor at the University of Notre Dame, told BBC News Brasil.
The New York Times
Reaction to C.E.O. Killing Exposes Frustrations With Health System
December 10, 2024
“People are legitimately actually pissed off at the health care industry, and there is some kind of support for vigilante justice,” said Tim Weninger, a computer science professor at Notre Dame and expert in social media and artificial intelligence. “It’s organic.”
La Presse
Telegram, Pavel Durov's free network
August 28, 2024
“From a technical standpoint, it’s hard to moderate Telegram,” says Tim Weninger, a professor in the department of computer science and engineering at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana and an expert on disinformation, over the phone.
Wired
Reddit Is Already on the Rebound
June 30, 2023
Tim Weninger, a computer scientist at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana who has studied Reddit, knows he will have to make a big decision on July 1.
ABC57
Artificial Advantage: AI presents a unique danger for society
Video Audio
June 10, 2023
ABC57's Brian Conybeare delved into the dark side of AI and spoke to Notre Dame Professor of Global Affairs Lisa Schirch, who says that the development of AI could potentially lead to catastrophic results for mankind. Meanwhile, Notre Dame Computer and Science and Engineering professor Tim Weninger does not believe AI directly threatens human at any point in the near future.
The New York Times
These Activists Distrust Voting Machines. Just Don’t Call Them Election Deniers.
June 05, 2023
“You sow a seed of doubt, and that will grow and fester into a conspiracy theory,” said Tim Weninger, a computer science professor at the University of Notre Dame who studies misinformation on social media.
Yahoo
Misinformation or potent symbol? An out-of-date yearbook photo of masked 2nd graders raises questions
January 31, 2022
“Is this photo misinformation? It’s in the eye of the beholder,” Tim Weninger, a professor of engineering at the University of Notre Dame who studies social media, told Yahoo News in an email.
WBEZ
Challenges social media faces in 2022 after battling misinformation last year
Audio
January 06, 2022
A year after the January 6 attack on the U.S. capitol, Reset talks with NPR’s Shannon Bond and University of Notre Dame professor Tim Weninger about the role social media plays when it comes to the spread of misinformation.
WVPE
Distrust In Mainstream Media
Audio
June 10, 2021
Tim Weninger, Professor of Computer Science, University of Notre Dame.
The Christian Science Monitor
Why “the 26 words that created the internet” are under fire
December 03, 2020
“I’m kind of worried about how this has caused people to silo into their own kind of media ecosystems and echo chambers,” says Tim Weninger, professor of computer science and engineering at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, who has studied the structural impact of social media algorithms and the corresponding proliferation of misinformation and “fake news.”