The collection of articles prepared based on the materials of the International Scientific Conference of the same name (October 1-2, 2009, Moscow) is devoted to topical problems of studying unofficial and uncontrolled communication. The publication presents mainly historical, as well as sociological and political studies, in which rumors are studied as a social and cultural practice that participates in the construction of validity and has had a significant impact on the history of Russia in the 19th-20th centuries.