Disinformation attack

Traditional media channels can be utilized to spread disinformation. For example, Russia Today is a state-funded news channel that is broadcast internationally. It aims to boost Russia’s reputation abroad and also depict Western nations, such as the U.S., in a negative light. It notably covers negative aspects of the U.S. and presents conspiracy theories aimed to mislead and misinform its audience.[4]

Perpetrators primarily utilize social media channels as a medium to spread disinformation. They leverage a variety of tools to carry out disinformation attacks, such as bots, algorithms, deep fake technology, and psychological principles.

• Bots are automated agents that can produce and spread content on online social platforms. Many bots can engage in basic interactions with other bots and humans. In disinformation attack campaigns, they are leveraged to rapidly disseminate disinformation and breach digital social networks. Bots can produce the illusion that one piece of information is coming from a variety of different sources. In doing so, disinformation attack campaigns make their content seem believable through repeated and varied exposure.[8] By flooding social media channels with repeated content, bots can also alter algorithms and shift online attention to disinformation content.[3]
• Algorithms are leveraged to amplify the spread of disinformation. Algorithms filter and tailor information for users and modify the content they consume.[9] A study found that algorithms can be radicalization pipelines because they present content based on its user engagement levels. Users are drawn more to radical, shocking, and click-bait content.[10] As a result, extremist, attention-grabbing posts can garner high levels of engagement through algorithms. Disinformation campaigns may leverage algorithms to amplify their extremist content and sow radicalization online.[11]
• A deep fake is digital content that has been manipulated. Deep fake technology can be harnessed to defame, blackmail, and impersonate. Due to its low costs and efficiency, deep fakes can be used to spread disinformation more quickly and in greater volume than humans can. Disinformation attack campaigns may leverage deep fake technology to generate disinformation concerning people, states, or narratives. Deep fake technology can be weaponized to mislead an audience and spread falsehoods.[12]
• Human psychology is also applied to make disinformation attacks more potent and viral. Psychological phenomena, such as stereotyping, confirmation bias, selective attention, and echo chambers, contributes to the virality and success of disinformation on digital platforms.[8][13] Disinformation attacks are often considered a type of psychological warfare because of their use of psychological techniques to manipulate populations.[14]

Domestic voter disinformation attacks are most often employed by autocrats aiming to cover up electoral corruption. Voter disinformation includes public statements that assert local electoral processes are legitimate and statements that discredit electoral monitors. Public-relations firms may also be hired to execute specialized disinformation campaigns, including media advertisements and behind-the-scenes lobbying. For example, state actors employed voter disinformation attacks to reelect Ilham Aliyev the 2013 Azerbaijani presidential election. They restricted electoral monitoring, allowing only certain groups like ex-Soviet republic allies to observe the electoral process. Public-relations firms were also hired to push the narrative of an honest and democratic election.[15]

• A Russian operation known as The Internet Research Agency (IRA) spent thousands on social media ads to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential elections. These political ads leveraged user data and to micro-target and spread misleading information to certain populations, with an end goal of exacerbating polarization and eroding public trust in political institutions.[16] The Computation Propaganda Project at Oxford University found that the IRA's ads specifically sought to sow mistrust towards the U.S. government among Mexican Americans and discourage voter turnout among African Americans.[17]
• Russia Today is a state-funded news channel that aims to boost Russia’s reputation abroad and depict Western nations in a negative light. It has served as a platform to disseminate propaganda and conspiracies concerning Western states such as the U.S.[4]
• During the Russo-Ukrainian War of 2014, Russia's combined traditional combat warfare with disinformation attacks in its offensive strategy. Disinformation attacks were leveraged to sow doubt and confusion among enemy populations and intimidate adversaries, erode public trust in Ukrainian institutions, and boost Russia’s reputation and legitimacy. This hybrid warfare allowed Russia to effectively exert physical and psychological dominance over target populations during the conflict.[18]

An app called “Dawn of Glad Tidings,” developed by Islamic State members, assists in the organization's efforts to rapidly disseminate disinformation in social media channels. When a user downloads the app, they are prompted to link it to their Twitter account and grant the app access to tweeting from their personal account. As a result, this app allows for automated Tweets to be sent out from real user accounts and helps create trends across Twitter that amplify disinformation produced by the Islamic State on an international scope.[17]

The Trump Administration backed initiatives to evaluate blockchain technology as a potential defense mechanism against internet manipulation. The Blockchain is a decentralized, secure database that can store and protect transactional information. Blockchain technology could be applied to make data transport more secure in online spaces and the Internet of Things networks, making it difficult for actors to alter or censor content and carry out disinformation attacks.[22]

"Operation Glowing Symphony" in 2016 was another federal initiative that sought to combat disinformation attacks. This operation attempted to dispel ISIS propaganda in social media channels. However, it was largely unsuccessful: ISIS actors continued to disseminate propaganda on other unmonitored online platforms.[23]

Private social media companies have engineered tools to identify and combat disinformation on their platforms. For example, Twitter uses machine learning applications to flag content that does not comply with its terms of services and identify extremist posts encouraging terrorism. Facebook and Google have developed a content hierarchy system where fact-checkers can identify and de-rank possible disinformation and adjust algorithms accordingly.[6] Many companies are considering using procedural legal systems to regulate content on their platforms as well. Specifically, they are considering using appellate systems: posts may be taken down for violating terms of service and posing as a disinformation threat, but users can contest this action through a hierarchy of appellate bodies.[11]

Cyber security experts claim that collaboration between public and private sectors is necessary to successfully combat disinformation attacks. Cooperative defense strategies include:

• The creation of "disinformation detection consortiums" where stakeholders (i.e. private social media companies and governments) convene to discuss disinformation attacks and come up with mutual defense strategies.[3]
• Sharing critical information between private social media companies and the government, so that more effective defense strategies can be developed.[24][3]
• Coordination among governments to create a unified and effective response against transnational disinformation campaigns.[3]

In 2018, the Executive Vice President of the European Commission for A Europe Fit for the Digital Age gathered a group of experts to produce a report with recommendations for teaching digital literacy. Proposed digital literacy curricula familiarizes students with fact-checking websites such as Snopes and FackCheck.org. This curricula aims to equip students with critical thinking skills to discern between factual content and disinformation online.[7]