Ed note – written by two IPA Members and published by NATO’s STRATCOM CoE, this report both dissects the nature of Russian information activities to achieve strategic goals, and addresses an old problem in information activities across government and industries:  the lack of a common language or taxonomy to describe the components of information activities...Read More

Ed note – “For over a decade,….”…?  Uh, let’s revise that and go for “For at least 25 years,….”  Yes, some of this re-litigates old arguments yet they are correct in pointing out our most recent strategy ignores the necessity of a coordinated communications approach with the rest of the world.  The report is a...Read More

Ed note – a short article from CBC but with some links embedded within of examples both of which are worth reading. Europe must develop tools to fight back, says top EU official Russia and China are waging a “digital war” with fake news and disinformation to undermine democracy in Europe, and the European Union...Read More

Ed Note – A summary below of peer reviewed research of interest. Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review Cross-platform disinformation campaigns: lessons learned and next steps We conducted a mixed-method, interpretative analysis of an online, cross-platform disinformation campaign targeting the White Helmets, a rescue group operating in rebel-held areas of Syria that have become the subject...Read More

Ed note:  Who indeed?  It should be all of us – the media, the government, and the public pointing out false information and the public should ensure there is a penalty for distributing false information…well, I can dream….. From poynter.org: Who’s ‘mainly’ responsible for curbing disinformation? An excerpt: A new poll shows a lack of...Read More

Ed note:  And think about what we could do with an ‘army’ of Fact Checkers!  Consider the impact of crowd sourced sites such as 38 North or BellingCat.  It can be done.  From Yahoo News: Fact checkers expose alleged news site run by far-right media company An excerpt: EU DisinfoLab, in cooperation with newsroom fact-checkers,...Read More

Ed. note:  Have a capability that would help?  Here’s your chance.  While DoD has not decided (and may never) what entity in the Dept will be responsible for coordinating Information Activities, USSOCOM has the largest number of folks that understand human decision-making – unfortunately, none of them work at USCYBERCOM. From Defense News: WASHINGTON —...Read More

Ed note – the recent agreement by a radio station in Kansas City to broadcast Russia Today radio could be another example of just ‘buying your way in.’ Making Foreign Companies Serve China: Outsourcing Propaganda to Local Entities in the Czech Republic Martin Hála The fast build-up and equally sudden decline of Chinese influence in...Read More

From the folks at Lawfare an important contribution to the discussion about the execution of information activities at US CYBER Command and in the Army’s Cyber Command.  This is a follow-up to the article by the Washington Post in December and the NPR story last September both highlighted in this blog. This discussion will continue...Read More

Key Findings from the Rand Report on Competing in the Gray Zone Download the entire report here The research in this report and elsewhere suggests that the West is winning this competition, but does not recognize it. “Everyday” gray zone actions must be differentiated from more aggressive and focused gray zone actions. Based on the...Read More