Virginia US Senator Mark Warner is proposing a new Social Media Data Analysis Center, funded with $30 million. Yes, we need such a center, but not a center totally reliant on high-tech solutions. We need common sense solutions. The language does not include experts on propaganda, disinformation, or fake news. The language does not include… Continue reading Proposed Social Media Data Analysis Center Lacks Common Sense
“A way” is the most important qualifier in this headline. There is no “one” way to detect future influence campaigns nor to counter them. There must be multiple, almost duplicative, overlapping ways, even redundant ways to approach this new problem. This is an interesting way, a publicly available ad ‘database’, which may be examined and… Continue reading A Way to Detect the Next Russian Misinformation Campaign
Anonymous expert compilation, analysis, and reporting. </end editorial> Facebook has resisted regulation like the plague for years. The recent UK DCMS inquiry concluded that regulation would be required. It appears that multiple legislatures see this the same way now, and Facebook’s inability to contain the NZ video recording was likely the last straw for the… Continue reading Facebook’s Backflip on Regulation
Russian Propaganda Film T-34 is appearing in US theaters, please help stop its appearance. Ukraine’s US Embassy is asking the theaters shown at the bottom of the page to reconsider showing this obvious Russian propaganda. Your assistance is requested to contact these theaters and stop this blatant attempt to influence US audiences. I, for one,… Continue reading Russian Propaganda Film, T-34, In US Theaters
Anonymous expert compilation, analysis, and reporting. </end editorial> The DCMS report is excellent – very thorough and very incisive. It should be a template for other democracies to deal with foreign and inappropriate domestic meddling in elections and politics. No less importantly it deals with many serious privacy issues as yet not addressed in legislation.… Continue reading Disinformation and ‘fake news’: Final Report published – DCMS Committee – UK Parliament / Cyber Update
For years, the Soviets, followed by the Russians, called Ukrainians “Banderites”, an intended insult equating them with “Nazi Collaborators”. Their logic is lost on those with knowledge of Stepan Bandera and his life dedicated to the independence and sovereignty of Ukraine. Bandera and the Ukrainian Independence Movement, the OUN, worked against both the Soviets and… Continue reading ‘Banderite’ Rebrand: Ukrainian Police Declare Admiration For Nazi Collaborators To Make A Point
Excellent article. The only easy tip I can add to this, on Facebook, is to look at the accounts cynically. If the woman is very pretty, most likely it is fake. The number of friends is usually an indicator, they will usually have very few. The friends that she does have may be spread all… Continue reading How to spot a Russian troll on social media
Russia is officially protesting a bill in the Senate which can charge athletes that dope their blood as a fraud. The below article is on RG.ru, the official website of the Russian government. It seems that Russia almost must officially lie. The Russian Foreign Ministry points out that the bill is being examined against the… Continue reading Proposed Rodchenkov Act Drives Russia Apoplectic
Joe Uchill Before the 2016 election, Western nations’ worst cyberattack nightmare involved sabotage of the electric grid. Meanwhile, the top digital fear among Russians was propaganda campaigns, according to Lincoln Pigman, an Oxford postgraduate researcher who studies the history of Moscow’s political posture on cybersecurity. Why it matters: The idea for the online information campaign that… Continue reading Russia is paranoid about propaganda
January 19, 2019 William Echols On Thursday, January 17, Facebook announced it had removed 364 Facebook Pages and accounts “for engaging in coordinated inauthentic behavior as part of a network that originated in Russia and operated in the Baltics, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Central and Eastern European countries.” The company said that the page administrators and… Continue reading Sputnik Falsely Claims ‘Censorship’ After Facebook Removed Hundreds of Accounts
The former eastern bloc nation is lavishing money on the arts in border regions susceptible to Russian influence, writes Carmen Gray The conversion of factories into cultural venues rarely raises eyebrows these days, but the Kreenholm complex here is not just any relic of industry. Once the world’s largest cotton mill and a poster child of Soviet might,… Continue reading Estonia is using alternative music to challenge Russian propaganda
Anonymous expert compilation, analysis, and reporting. </end editorial> Russians continue nonsensical claims about Whelan. The Nord Stream 2 game may be unraveling – hopefully. Excellent commentary on unilateral disarmament by Huessy. Four digests on Russia’s continuing descent. More Russian propaganda on Trident Juncture EX. Skripal residence teardown for decontamination. USN deploys LSD to the Black… Continue reading Ukraine / Russia Ad Hoc Media Update (72)
[open pdf – 1MB] From the thesis abstract: “The purpose of this research, broadly speaking, is to expose the threat that ‘fake news’ poses to our national security. This thesis answers the question: Can the information laundering model, or a modified version of it, be used to explain how the internet is exploited to spread fake news, and… Continue reading NPS Thesis: Fake News, Conspiracy Theories, and Lies: An Information Laundering Model for Homeland Security
International broadcasting walks a fine line between fair, objective, and unbiased and propaganda. The UK broadcasting regulator determined 7 RT programs were unduly biased and not impartial. In response to OfCom’s investigation, Russia launched an investigation of the BBC. There is almost no doubt that the BBC will be found guilty of some fabricated crime… Continue reading RT broke bias guidelines, UK’s OFCOM says
An announcement from Dr. Emma Briant, </end editorial> Dear Colleagues, I’m delighted to announce my new book chapter published earlier this month: Briant, E L & Wanlass, A (December 2018) ‘A Digital Ménage à Trois: Strategic Leaks, Propaganda and Journalism: Strategic Leaks, Propaganda and Journalism’, in Corneliu Bjola & James Pamment (eds) Countering Online Propaganda and… Continue reading Book Chapter on Strategic Leaks/Propaganda & Documentary ‘The Great Hack’
As my expert Bulgarian source tells me, “These are great insights into chekist propaganda techniques”. As the following Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, aka CBC/Radio-Canada, article explains, there can be multiple interpretations of any situation. Here we see yet another Russian spin on the Skripal assassination. Professor Manoilo, teaching at Lomonosov Moscow State University, blames the British but… Continue reading Inside a former Russian spy’s info wars course. Today’s lesson — the nerve agent poisonings in the U.K.
Russia is doubling down on their statement that Ukraine is going to launch a “provocation” in Donbas. Ukraine is surrounded with Russian tanks along the Russia/Ukraine border. Russian combat aircraft have surged to their highest levels, surrounding Ukraine. The Russian navy has surged into Crimea and the Black Sea. Russian combat commanders have arrived in… Continue reading Russia Repeats Claim That Ukraine Is Preparing A ‘Provocation’
George Winston War propaganda is rampant wherein the popular imagination is considered, and at least for western audiences, it really is only in recent years that war has been portrayed either negatively or realistically, including casualties, loss and the true drama of conflict. While most movies may flub a detail or two for the sake… Continue reading Russian War Story Proven to be a Fabrication
Anonymous expert compilation, analysis, and reporting. The Ukraine Orthodox Church is preaching peace and unity. Ukraine has taken the lead and has shown itself to be the polar opposite of Russia. Ukraine is mature, measured, and uniting, everything Russia is not. Now we must watch the Russian reaction to see if Russia and the Russian… Continue reading Russia Loses the War of the Churches (58)
Canada will provide Ukraine with about two and a half million dollars for the fight against Russian propaganda during the elections. These funds will become part of the 24 million package of aid that the Canadians promised earlier. Ukrinform reports. “The Russian hybrid war in Ukraine includes the activities of disinformation, designed to influence the… Continue reading Canada Will Provide Ukraine Millions Of Dollars To Fight Propaganda
The plan has four key areas: Improved detection Coordinated response Online platforms and industry Raising awareness and empowering citizens The EU is raising its budget for support from €1.9 million in 2018 to €5 million in 2019. Member countries are expected to increase their support commensurately. The entire document is worth a read to see exactly… Continue reading A Europe that Protects: The EU steps up action against disinformation
I really do appreciate Russian humor. This article is not meant to be humorous but it almost… is. Mostly because the logic is grossly obtuse, the leaps in logic were a comedic tragedy, and the assertions and assumptions were, well, cute. As cute as a pile of #2 but, still, cute. This blog link was… Continue reading “Proof” That’s Not
This has all the signs of that of a Russian Hybrid War on Ukraine is on the verge of being launched. Russia cannot fight a conventional war against Ukraine, Russia cannot afford such a fight. Not only is the Russian economy bad, but the sanctions against Russia, in the long term, would crush Russia. Russia… Continue reading Russian spies in Ukraine stoke Kremlin’s war
Ambassador Herbst’s article ends with an absolute slap in the face to most Western leaders, but it most certainly needs to be said and he expressed it very well. Ambassador Herbst does not mince words. One, in particular, stands out: craven: contemptibly lacking in courage; cowardly. The West and most notably the United States not taking… Continue reading How the West Got Martial Law in Ukraine Totally Wrong
Running a marathon is difficult enough, but being handed a wet flag during the final leg may have caused a Chinese racer to lose the lead. He Yinli is being both chastised and supported, in that she was closing in on the lead runner when she was handed the Chinese national flag. She wound up… Continue reading Patriotic Propaganda In China?
Anonymous expert compilation, analysis, and reporting. </end editorial> Zakharova’s peculiar comments on invading Ukraine attracting some attention, even though she attempted to later backtrack. The Vozhd makes many pronouncements at the G-20 on Ukraine, admitting Russia is at war with Ukraine, and saying it will not end until Ukraine has a Russia-friendly government, which of… Continue reading Ukraine / Russia Ad Hoc Media Update (49)
I hope that someone from the US is involved in this tabletop exercise, specifically from the Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communication’s (DNSA/SC) staff. It is their job to coordinate these efforts on behalf of the United States as well as building a better network of experts in this field. I also hope the… Continue reading Finland and Sweden explore ways to deal with emerging threats in the information environment
If you follow the news, you might have seen a reference to two Tweets by US President Donald Trump about a “Worldwide Network”. I have read a whole stack of interpretations, mostly damning, by the media. The worst version, by far, is that President Trump wants to establish his own version of RT. At no… Continue reading What Of This “Worldwide Network”? It’s Called The Vastly Underfunded USAGM
The migrant “invasion” of the United States’ southern border can easily be categorized as an information operation, using ‘innocent’ human beings from Central America to force an issue and possibly embarrass a US president. There are more articles, videos, and discussions about the migrants in the US media than about a possible imminent war between… Continue reading Who Is Investigating The Backers Of The Migrants?
In one of the most egregious examples of fabricated propaganda, state-sponsored and state-controlled RIA Novosti published an over-the-top smear piece targeting the UK and Bill Browder. Why do I say it’s propaganda? The article contains no documentation. No proof. No evidence. No citations. No links. Zero. Zip. Nada. No corroboration. No verification. Numerous references to… Continue reading Russia’s RIA Novosti Desperately Publishes Really Bad Propaganda Piece Targeting UK and Browder
November 9, 2018 This paper is based upon Ukraine’s experience of facing Russian information warfare, placed into a global context. For the international audience, this document may be useful because it explains how Ukrainian experts have come up with solutions to problems which Ukraine began to face earlier than many other countries in the world… Continue reading Taming the Hydra: How to Resist Kremlin’s Information Aggression?
Katerina received a doctorate and master’s degree in history at the Central European University in Budapest, a Master’s degree in European Union law at the University of the Reding in the UK and a bachelor of humanities from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. Also: https://day.kyiv.ua/uk/article/den-planety-nota-bene/yak-pracyuye-zahidna-ekspertna-mashyna-na-sluzhbi-kremlya </end editorial> (Translation from Ukrainian by my Chrome browser) Katerina… Continue reading From Suslov to Surkov – How does the Kremlin’s expert propaganda work?
I attended a conference this past week and I realized that the terminology of IO/IW/Propaganda/SC/PD and every other ‘information term’ is being abused. Seriously abused. Some of the terms receiving serious abuse: Information Operations Information Warfare Propaganda Cyberwar/Cyberwarfare Strategic Communications Public Diplomacy Disinformation Misinformation Malinformation It was seriously disconcerting to hear cyber experts stating they… Continue reading The Use And Abuse Of Information Terms – Solution?
InfowarCon is a simply amazing event. Experts from any and all disciplines having to do with information warfare, writ large, gather, speak, and mingle. Meeting the founder of InfowarCon, Winn Schwartau, is worth the trip alone. His mind is a Category 6 hurricane of expertise, knowledge, experience, and ideas – he’s a force of nature.… Continue reading InfoWarCon Is This Week, 1 to 3 Nov in Leesburg VA
Russian propaganda, at least from the Russian troll farm, is comical, to say the least. They believe in quantity and not quality and their latest video is just a tragic waste of time. Thank you to Polygraph.Info for helping expose them more! Also, thank you for the laugh at their expense. #RussiaFail </end editorial> October 25,… Continue reading Polygraph.Info: Russian Troll Farm’s Comically Fake U.S. Military Video Incites Ridicule Online
The article in Foreign Policy, “State Department Considering Public Diplomacy Overhaul”, neglected to mention one critical facet of the State Department, both the bureaus that have been directed to possibly merge are within the office of the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. Furthermore, the position of Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs has… Continue reading Band-Aid Fix At State Not Addressing Overall SC And PD Concept, Strategy
17 October 2018 “Danish scholars conclude that RT has ‘exceptional influence’ in social media”. This was the title of a recent story published by the Russian state-controlled news agency RIA Novosti. A similar story was run by Sputnik, also in Russian. The sensational headline about the “exceptional influence” looks like a pat on RT’s back; however, it’s a… Continue reading Like the Devil Reads the Bible
It’s about time. Note to journalists. It’s Kyiv, not Kiev It’s #PutinInvadedUkraine, not #CivilWar If you want to perpetuate Russian propaganda, feel free to ignore. If you support Russia invading other sovereign nations, feel free to ignore. If you feel Russia is justified acting belligerently to other nations on strategic, operational, and tactical levels, feel free to… Continue reading It’s Kyiv, Not Kiev
SEPTEMBER 30, 2018 / 8:37 AM Tony Munroe BEIJING (Reuters) – A week after an official Chinese newspaper ran a four-page ad in a U.S. daily touting the mutual benefits of U.S.-China trade, the U.S. ambassador to China accused Beijing of using the American press to spread propaganda. U.S. President Donald Trump last Wednesday referred… Continue reading U.S. ambassador accuses China of ‘bullying’ with ‘propaganda ads’
Anonymous expert compilation, analysis, and reporting. Russian “covert ops team captured”. Pssst. *whispering* Russia, covert means nobody knows they’re there and nobody gets caught. The victim survived the attack? *Facepalm* Incompetence. Team fail. Russia fail. #7, below, refers to “Ukraine: “We were born in a great hour” – Russia’s Nightmare – To Inform is to… Continue reading Ukraine Ad Hoc Media Update (34)
Fake videos are now detectable with new tools devised by the Department of Defense. </end editorial> Fake video clips made with artificial intelligence can also be spotted using AI—but this may be the beginning of an arms race. by Will Knight August 7, 2018 The first forensics tools for catching revenge porn and fake news created with… Continue reading The Defense Department has produced the first tools for catching deepfakes
Wall Street Journal, Sept. 19, Pg. A6 | Kate O’Keeffe and Aruna Viswanatha The Justice Department ordered two leading Chinese state-run media organizations to register as foreign agents, according to people familiar with the matter, as U.S. officials ramp up efforts to combat foreign influence operations and toughen their stance on a variety of China… Continue reading U.S. Orders Chinese Outlets To Join Foreign-Agents List
Anonymous expert compilation, analysis, and reporting. </end editorial> Tumultuous is probably the best description for this week in the media. Most interesting reports in every single category. NATO / EU / Russia Reports US F-22 fighter jets intercept Russian bombers near Alaska – CNNPolitics Two US F-22 “Raptor” fighter jets intercepted two Russian TU-95 bombers… Continue reading Russia / Strategy Ad Hoc Media Update (48)
Last week’s events concerning the pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign Can’t see images?http://preview.mlsend.com/k3j5e9 Dear colleagues, we have talked to our trusted contacts in Swedish security institutions and here are the main takeaways about Russian strategy in Sweden: The Russian strategy seems to be clear. Moscow probably realized that going in with direct aggressive activities would backfire due… Continue reading Russian Strategy In Sweden
I swear, either Tom Rogan, the author of this article, read the editorial I wrote yesterday, here: Salisbury CW Attack / Syria / Iran / Russia Ad Hoc Update (143), or we think alike. My prediction is that this exact scenario will be presented to the world in excruciating detail, after a few days. Expect details beyond… Continue reading The Upcoming Novichok GRU Officers Russian Extravaganza
SEPTEMBER 10, 2018 Toronto– The Central and Eastern European Council in Canada, representing the interests of nearly 4 million Canadians of Central and Eastern Euopean heritage, demands that Walmart, Amazon and eBay, immediately cease all sales of items on their online stores that glorify The Soviet Union, Soviet repression, Josef Stalin and the institutions used… Continue reading Walmart, Amazon, E-Bay Must End Sales Of All Items That Glorify Soviet Repression And Terror
Anonymous expert compilation, analysis, and reporting. </end editorial> Every once in a while the Russians surprise with a truthful observation – in this case, the admission that Russia and the West “live in a different reality” i.e. Russia’s alternate reality is a real state of mind in Russia. SECSTATE Pompeo’s Crimea Declaration was needless to… Continue reading Helsinki Summit Media (9)
This should serve as a model for other efforts to counter disinformation for the “online platforms, leading social networks, advertisers and the advertising industry” in locations outside Europe. I am quite certain the lessons learned here and the practices established can easily be applied elsewhere. Watch this effort closely! </end editorial> European Commission > Strategy > Digital Single Market > News… Continue reading A draft code of practice on online disinformation
Interesting French brief just released by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Wake-up call, especially for anyone who still thinks the Russians didn’t materially affect the 2016 elections here. More important, a pretty good synopsis for how to prevent another round of meddling this year. Many options are left out, however. It does… Continue reading Successfully Countering Russian Electoral Interference
Thank goodness for good journalism. It still exists. Bloomberg mistakenly marked Crimea as a part of Russia on a map. The Ukrainian Embassy in the US called out the mistake. Bloomberg corrected the error and the correction was noted. Crimea is Ukraine.
To Inform is to Influence 