FOUNDIP [Social Media Weaponization]

Since the nadir of Soviet dissolution, Russia has fought to ____________________ American influence.

rebalance power and contemporaneously reduce

From Russia’s interference in the _____________ to spreading hoaxes during the ____________, Russia is exploiting America’s divisions with disinformation to amplify discord in the United States and undermine its institutions.

2016 Presidential election, 2020 global pandemic

As Russia targets issues of ______________ in this way, there will be tremendous implications for American citizens and the U.S. health system.

public health

Russia views the ___________ as committed to weakening and eliminating its sphere of influence, and ensuring sustained U.S.-Western unipolar dominanc

United States, NATO, and the European Union

Russia touts the West’s ________________” during the Ukrainian revolution as further evidence that the United States and NATO are meddling too much in its area of influence

interference

Russia sees Western dominance manifested: socially and culturally

Western entertainment seeking to replace Russian culture, values, and language

Russia sees Western dominance manifested: militarily

The United States geographically encircling Russia with NATO expansion and technologically ringing Russia with missile defenses and bases

Russia sees Western dominance manifested: politically

The West fomenting “color revolutions” in Russia and the former Soviet Union. (The political events that took place at the end of 2003 in Georgia, in 2004 in Ukraine and in 2005 in Kyrgyzstan are popularly called the Rose, Orange and Tulip Revolution or collectively: the Colour Revolutions in the post-Soviet space.

The West fomenting “______________” in Russia and the former Soviet Union. (The political events that took place at the end of 2003 in Georgia, in 2004 in Ukraine and in 2005 in Kyrgyzstan are popularly called the Rose, Orange and Tulip Revolution or collectively: the Colour Revolutions in the post-Soviet space.

color revolutions

The political events that took place at the end of 2003 in Georgia, in 2004 in Ukraine and in 2005 in Kyrgyzstan are popularly called the _____________

Rose, Orange and Tulip Revolution or collectively: the Colour Revolutions in the post-Soviet space.

Russia sees Western dominance manifested: science and technology

Russia relying heavily on traditional weapons of mass destruction, such as its substantial nuclear arsenal.

demographic and health challenges (a declining birth rate and high death rate from unnatural causes, including widespread alcoholism).

led to Russia viewing itself in a constant state of besiegement and deficiency

Since the end of the Cold War, Russia has had to be calculating and creative to _____________ to compete with the United States, maximizing less conventional tools of war, including covert operations within the information domain

balance its economic, military, and technological disadvantages

During the Cold War, the Soviet Union used ___________ to influence nations in coercive ways distinct from espionage and counterintelligence.

active measures

In the early 1980s, the “active measures” of the Soviet Union included ______________—intended to influence opinions and/or the actions of individuals and governments

covert and deceptive operations — such as propaganda, disinformation, front groups, media manipulation, political influence operations, and forgeries

Active measures included ____________ with the goal of discrediting or influencing the West, which are echoed in Russia’s modernday tactics.

disinformation, political influence operations, and controlling media and messaging

the term ___________ better reflects the current Russian method of shaping the security environment using an integrated approach of all military and nonmilitary devices to achieve its strategic goals

cross-domain warfare

In a response to the Arab Spring uprisings, which Russia believed to be incited by the West, __________ publicly discussed how to prevent similar uprisings in Russia. In his speech, Gerasimov cited control of information as central to victory

General Valery Gerasimov (chief of the General Staff)

In March 2019, ___________ spoke on the shift of warfare to the information sphere and labeled information technologies as “one of the most promising types of weapons” to be used covertly “not only against critically important informational infrastructures, but also against the population of a country, directly influencing the condition of a state’s national security

Gerasimov

IT according to Gerasimov

one of the most promising types of weapons” to be used covertly “not only against critically important informational infrastructures, but also against the population of a country, directly influencing the condition of a state’s national security.”

The _____________ sees information as a new type of weapon and views all forms of information, across all platforms, as potential sources of power to be weaponized.

Kremlin

Russia is working to create a ________ Internet with aspirations of creating a Russian equivalent of China’s “Great Firewall.”

“Russia only”

(for example, the state-controlled television network RT and online “news” aggregators such as Sputnik) are beamed in to counter Western cable news.

Russian news and propaganda

DISINFORMATION

is a relatively new word. Most observers trace it back to the Russian word dezinformatsiya, which Soviet planners in the 1950s defined as “dissemination (in the press, on the radio, etc.) of false reports intended to mislead public opinion.” Others suggest that the earliest use of the term originated in 1930s Nazi Germany.

Russian word, which Soviet planners in the 1950s defined as “dissemination (in the press, on the radio, etc.) of false reports intended to mislead public opinion.”

dezinformatsiya

PROPAGANDA

In either case, it is much younger (and less commonly used) which originated in the 1600s and generally connotes the selective use of information for political effect

DISINFORMATION

describes politically motivated messaging designed explicitly to engender public cynicism, uncertainty, apathy, distrust, and paranoia, all of which disincentivize citizen engagement and mobilization for social or political change

PROPAGANDA

the use of non-rational arguments to either advance or undermine a political ideal, and use disinformation as an alternative name for undermining propaganda

MISINFORMATION

meanwhile, generally refers to the inadvertent sharing of false information

DISINFORMATION in the Russian Context

observers have described its use to pursue Moscow’s foreign policy goals through a “4D” offensive: dismiss an opponent’s claims or allegations, distort events to serve political purposes, distract from one’s own activities, and dismay those who might otherwise oppose one’s goa

observers have described its use to pursue Moscow’s foreign policy goals through a “4D” offensive: dismiss an opponent’s claims or allegations, ________ events to serve political purposes, ________ from one’s own activities, and ______ those who might otherwise oppose one’s goa

distort, distract, dismay

In September of 2017, ___________ disclosed that roughly 3,000 ads related to divisive US political issues were purchased by a network of 470 accounts and pages suspected to be run out of Russia.

Facebook

Fake News

generally refers to misleading content found on the internet, especially on social media.

More often than not, fake news does not meet the definition of disinformation or propaganda. Its motives are usually _______________ and it is usually not tied to a larger agenda

financial, not political

Marketing and Public Relations

rely on a mix of facts, opinions, and emotional cues to persuade audiences and build affinity between individuals and brands or organizations

Promotional Activities

meant to augment or protect the reputation of the messenger, their goals may be commercial or political, or they may simply aim to generate publicity

Similarly _________ which states utilize to represent their viewpoints to foreign audiences and promote positive associations with that country among foreign publics.

promotional is public diplomacy,

Public Diplomacy

distinguishes itself from propaganda by never intentionally spreading false information or relying on nonrational means of persuasion (though marketing and public relations, of course, may rely on such non-rational devices).

Marketing, public relations, public diplomacy, and similar information campaigns are all related to the field of ___________ broadly defined as the purposeful use of information and messaging to advance the mission of a given organization, be it a corporate, government, non-profit, or military actor

“strategic communication,”

INTENT AS A DISTINGUISHING FEATURE

If an information campaign uses falsehoods and emotional appeals not to persuade or attract but to disrupt, divide, confuse, or otherwise damage target audiences’ understanding or political cohesion, it more closely aligns with disinformation and its undermining function

INFORMATION OPERATIONS AS A TOOL OF POLITICAL INFLUENCE

Information campaigns with these goals in mind are now sometimes referred to as “information operations,” a term until recently used primarily by defense officials in referring broadly to the use of communications in military operations.

Information campaigns with these goals in mind are now sometimes referred to as _________________” a term until recently used primarily by defense officials in referring broadly to the use of communications in military operations.

information operations

Disinformation

is the malicious and intentional development and propagation of false information

misinformation

is the inadvertent spreading of erroneous content

Misinformation Campaign

for example, could be employed maliciously by relying on unwitting users to spread false information

Russia’s modus operandi for social media exploitation is predictable: Identify a _________________ to spread divisive rhetoric, amplify debates, and promote discord.

contentious issue, employ bots and trolls on various social media platforms

Russia’s information warfare tactics are a ____________, making them difficult to understand and counter. In June 2020, a large-scale, persistent 6-year-long disinformation campaign out of Russia was exposed. The campaign was labeled “Secondary Infektion.”

moving target

Russia’s information warfare tactics are a moving target, making them difficult to understand and counter. In June 2020, a large-scale, persistent ___________ out of Russia was exposed. The campaign was labeled _____________

6 year long disinformation campagin, Secondary Infektion

As opposed to previous efforts to build social media accounts with a following, credibility, and trust, this shows Russia’s recognition of Americans’ ____________

media illiteracy, inability to recognize fake news, and unwillingness to research deeper than a single tweet.

Public Health

is another area of acute debate in the United States, and one that is ideal for Russian targeting.

Public health issues are both _____________ and therefore any discussion of related topics is often full of emotion and an eagerness to quickly obtain information. Often, people are more trusting of health advice from friends, family, or influencers they trust than impersonal institutions.

personal and societal,

A National Institutes of Health study found that “in the [United States], _________ Internet users search for health information online, and _______ of these people use social media.” This makes public health issues such as COVID19 or measles an ideal target for Russian social media weaponization

eight in ten, 74 percent

anti-vaccination (anti-vaxxers) movement

espouses a belief that vaccinations are at best unnecessary and at worst cause physical harm, including autism and seizures.

The movement is fueled by a _____________ and the existence of echo chambers online that encourage the spread of misinformation quickly and among friends.

deep mistrust of authority

The movement is fueled by a deep mistrust of authority and the existence of _____________ online that encourage the spread of misinformation quickly and among friends.

echo chambers

These attacks on public health present _____________. The anti-vaxxer movement risks increasing U.S. vulnerability to infectious diseases

a threat to homeland and national security

U.S. health institutions are faced with a ___________ as scientific facts about these contagious diseases are degraded by both intentional and inadvertent lies.

crisis of trust

Asymmetric Warfare

is being waged against the United States and its citizens daily across multiple platforms and with expanded notions of what constitutes acceptable warfare.

The ____________ requires a comprehensive, whole-of-government solution to counter these actions as well as a whole-of-society awareness to be part of the soluti

United States

Governments and companies

could raise barriers to make the efforts harder, and people could be better informed on how to identify misinformation and disinformation, thereby making it less effective.

2020 National Defense Authorization Act

called for the Director of National Intelligence to create a Malign Foreign Influence Response Center to coordinate and integrate across the Intelligence Community on issues of foreign influence

Department of State’s Global Engagement Center

doing its part to identify, expose, and counter disinformation, but without higher visibility by U.S. citizens and the Nation’s adversaries, it cannot be fully successful

Fifth Generation Warfare (5GW)

Is a war of information and perception
•Targets existing cognitive biases of individuals and organizations
•Creates new cognitive biases (social engineering) – emotions, motivations, age, limited info processing capacity, social influence

Fifth Generation Warfare (5GW)

Is different from classical warfare for the following reasons: • Focuses on the individual observer / decision maker • Is difficult or impossible to attribute • Nature of the attack is concealed

1st Generation (5GW)

Relies on the line and column as the primary formation and the smoothbore musket and bayonet as its primary weapon.

2nd Generation (5GW)

Still relies on linear fire, but with the genesis of maneuver emerging and the single-shot bolt-action rifle as the primary weapon.

3rd Generation (5GW)

Uses basic infiltration techniques to bypass enemy defenses as well as defense in-depth, with magazine-fed bolt-action rifles and machine-guns as the primary weapons.

4th Generation (5GW)

Modern insurgency and counterinsurgency, which features states facing off against evolved, technologically sophisticated insurgents who use terrorist attacks to strike directly at the vulnerable points of modern nations. The use of advanced ballistic computer driven assaults are common

5th Generation (5GW)

is an attempt to accomplish strategic objectives through propaganda and information attack vectors, carried out by unknown actors for unknown reasons. Even if the core enemy is identified, the victim nation will not be able to understand the purpose or end goal. The space in which 5GW is carried out is still evolving and due to the victim organization or nation being unaware of the where, why, and how; it's not possible to counter until harm has already been inflicted

1st Generation: Ancient melee (hand-to-hand)battle

Made irrelevant by Muskets

2nd Generation: Organized battle with gunpowder

Made irrelevant by Blitzkrieg

3rd Generation: Mechanized warfare focused on speed and maneuverability

Made irrelevant by Terrorism

4th Generation: Mechanized warfare focused on speed and maneuverability

made irrelevant by Mobile Internet, Network Effects

5th Generation: Information and Perception ((Primarily Non Kenetic)

To Be Determined?

Finland has faced down Kremlin-backed propaganda campaigns ever since then. Finland shares an ____________

832-mile border with Russia.

After the Bolsheviks took over Russia in November 1917, the Parliament of Finland ___________.

issued a declaration of independence on December 6, 1917

In 2014, ______________ and backed rebels in eastern Ukraine, it became obvious that the battlefield had shifted: information warfare was moving online.

after Moscow annexed Crimea

As the trolling ramped up in 2015, ______________ called on every Finn to take responsibility for the fight against false information.

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto

In 2016, Finland brought in ________ experts to advise officials on how to recognize fake news, understand why it goes viral and develop strategies to fight it.

American

“They knew that the Kremlin was messing with Finnish politics, but they didn’t have a context with which to interpret that. They were wondering if this meant they [Russia] would invade, was this war?” _________, director of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Center for Global Engagement at Harvard University, who was hired by Finland to train state officials to spot and then hit back at fake news, told CNN

Jed Willard

Jed Willard

Director of Global Engagement at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Foundation at Adams House, Harvard University. He has +20 years of experience in communication, research, and public diplomacy with a recent track record in security and disinformation threat analysis.

The _________ was also reformed to emphasize critical thinking

education system

It may be _________________ which is precisely what Finland did in 2016 to combat what it saw as a rise in disinformation emanating from accounts linked to its neighbor to the east.

difficult to export democracy, but it is easy to import experts,

In Valentina Uitto’s social studies class, a group of 10th-graders were debating over what the key issues on EU elections in May 2019. ____________________________ were cited before the students were asked to choose a theme to analyze

Brexit, immigration, security and the economy

The class is the embodiment of Finland’s critical thinking curriculum, which was revised in 2016 to prioritize the skills students need to ______________ that has clouded recent election campaigns in the US and across Europe.

spot the sort of disinformation

The school recently partnered with _____________ to develop a digital literacy “toolkit” for elementary to high school students learning about the EU elections. It was presented to the EU’s expert group on media literacy and has been shared among member states.

Finnish fact-checking agency Faktabaari (FactBar

“What we want our students to do is … before they like or share in the social media they think twice – who has written this? Where has it been published? Can I find the same information from another source?”

Kari Kivinen, director of Helsinki French-Finnish School and former secretary-general of the European Schools

He cautioned that it is a balancing act trying to make sure _____________ doesn’t give way to _____________

skepticism, cynicism in students.

According to Jed Willard, “The Finns have a very unique and special strength in that _______________-. And who they are is directly rooted in_______________, in a lot of things that Russia, right now, is not,

they know who they are, human rights and the rule of law

Local Response Framework to address digita drivers of conflicts

Mitigate impacts, build resilience

Global Response Framework to address digital drivers of conflicts

Prevent, monitor, detect, and assess threats