Should The U.S. Have a Secretary For Influence Operations? Ed. Note – Oh, we have been through this before and, in the end, find that the issue is not where in DoD this responsibility lies, it’s where in the USG this responsibility lies.  Structurally, we are not set up to undertake this as a coordinated...Read More

Ed note:  I believe many of us have heard anecdotes about this but here’s a rigorous study to back up the belief that yes, bots can change policy.  With better and better algorithms able to write short paragraphs in ‘ok’ English (not great IMO) and vary these paragraphs with each submission but still contain the...Read More

Ed note – There were so many things easier to deal with in the pre-internet age…. From New York Magazine and the Intelligencer column 5 Theories About Conspiracy Theories – Conspiracy theories are a long-established method of organizing and understanding the modern world. – Conspiracy theories are a way for people to exert control over...Read More

Ed note – written by two friends of IPA 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...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