RESPONDING TO COGNITIVE SECURITY CHALLENGE
RESPONDING TO COGNITIVE SECURITY CHALLENGE
Contributor(s): Anna Reynolds (Editor), Mike Collier (Editor)
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Politics, Social Sciences, Economy, Psychology, Media studies, Public Law, Communication studies, Sociology, Security and defense, Military policy, Behaviorism, Policy, planning, forecast and speculation, ICT Information and Communications Technologies
Published by: NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence
Keywords: military; Internet; social media; security; politics; user data; pro-regime messages; ideology; public policy;
Summary/Abstract: This research product is a collection of different efforts, united by a common goal: to identify some of the most critical security challenges in online environment and what can be done to counter them, and to determine the role of governments and state institutions in countering them. People spend increasing amounts of time online, either communicating, networking, entertaining themselves, or obtaining news. On the one hand, this narrows the number of places analysts must look at when assessing the information environment, on the other, we have yet to fully tap into the analysis potential for this enormous space and leverage it to increase the effectiveness of our communications.
- Print-ISBN-13: 978-9934-564-39-0
- Page Count: 97
- Publication Year: 2019
- Language: English
The Current Digital Arena and its Risks to Serving Military Personnel
The Current Digital Arena and its Risks to Serving Military Personnel
(The Current Digital Arena and its Risks to Serving Military Personnel)
- Author(s):Sebastian Bay, Nora Biteniece
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Media studies, Security and defense, Military policy, ICT Information and Communications Technologies
- Page Range:7-18
- No. of Pages:12
- Keywords:user data; social media; military; society; digital environment;
- Summary/Abstract:The last few years have provided an abundance of examples of how malicious actors can exploit user data to the detriment of social media users, armed forces, and society. This study explores what kind of user data is available in the digital environment and demonstrates how a malicious actor can exploit this data in the context of a military exercise. The results of an experiment conducted by a NATO StratCom COE research team suggest that in the current digital arena an adversary would be able to collect enough personal data on soldiers to create targeted messages with precision, successfully influencing their chosen target audience to carry out desired behaviors.
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: Analyzing Images in the Online Information Environment
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: Analyzing Images in the Online Information Environment
(A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: Analyzing Images in the Online Information Environment)
- Author(s):Nora Biteniece
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Media studies, Security and defense, ICT Information and Communications Technologies
- Page Range:19-37
- No. of Pages:19
- Keywords:social media; web; online information environment; image analyze; influence; NATO;
- Summary/Abstract:As social media, and the web as a whole, become more visual, organizations and governments can no longer rely solely on textual analysis when seeking to better understand their audiences in the online environment. Methods for thorough analysis of the online information environment, including visual content, must be developed. This chapter discusses the type of information images contain and how it can be extracted, and proposes a computer based image retrieval to extract valuable information from large volumes of images and aggregate it in a meaningful way.
The Effects of Banning the Social Network VK in Ukraine
The Effects of Banning the Social Network VK in Ukraine
(The Effects of Banning the Social Network VK in Ukraine)
- Author(s):Anton Dek, Kateryna Kononova, Tatyana Marchenko
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Politics, Media studies, Security and defense, ICT Information and Communications Technologies
- Page Range:39-59
- No. of Pages:21
- Keywords:Ukraine; social networks; VKontakte; security; ideological posts;
- Summary/Abstract:In May 2017, the President of Ukraine put into effect a decision of the National Security and Defence Council (NSDC) to impose economic sanctions on 468 Russian companies. The largest Russian social network, VKontakte (VK), was banned, among others. Because of the ban, the audience for VK in Ukraine decreased significantly and the social network site dropped out of the top ten most popular sites in the country. To better understand the effects of the VK ban, a study was organised to monitor changes in posting dynamics, to analyse user demographics before and after the ban, and to identify the rhetoric used in posts before and after the ban. The dataset includes more than 300,000 Ukrainian VK user profiles. Because the ban does not apply to the territories occupied by Russia, the study examined two target regions: government controlled areas (GCA) subject to the ban, and non-government-controlled areas (NGCA) where the ban was not imposed. The study took place between 1 May 2016 and 14 June 2018. This period was divided into three intervals: before the ban, the first ‘user exodus’, and the second ‘user exodus’. Our analysis shows that VK is markedly less popular in the area controlled by the Ukrainian government (19% less, compared to NGCA). However, those few users left after the ban are more active, producing 4.37 times as much content as those in non-governmentcontrolled-areas. Moreover, these VK profiles are more densely connected. To study the rhetoric appearing in user posts, we used a clustering algorithm that could identify accounts posting about ideological issues. When compared with the majority of other profiles, the characteristics of ideological posts stood out. Before the ban a typical VKuser would write, on average, one post every four days; after the ban the frequency dropped to one post every ten days. Ideological users55 were notably more active — they wrote four posts per day before the ban and 1.6 posts after the ban. Ideological users were also significantly more connected — after the ban the average number of friends for an ideological user grew from 197 to 501, and such users subscribed to 2.25 times more groups than typical VK-users. Our analysis of reposts from ideological groups showed that although the number of users decreased by a factor of three, the activity level of these groups remained unchanged. However, taking into account that most pro-Ukrainian groups left VK after the ban, those who continued to use the network were increasingly posting to an echo-chamber. We conclude that the VK ban was effective in some ways. The network lost a significant portion of its audience and its popularity decreased, but those users who retained their VK profiles after the ban became more connected on average and began consuming more information from a greater number of groups. Despite the fact that the number of ideological users also dropped, those who continued to use VK lost their opposition, so rhetoric became less diverse.
Division Abroad, Cohesion at Home: How the Russian Troll Factory Works to Divide Societies Overseas but Spread Pro-Regime Messages at Home
Division Abroad, Cohesion at Home: How the Russian Troll Factory Works to Divide Societies Overseas but Spread Pro-Regime Messages at Home
(Division Abroad, Cohesion at Home: How the Russian Troll Factory Works to Divide Societies Overseas but Spread Pro-Regime Messages at Home)
- Author(s):John D. Gallacher, Rolf E. Fredheim
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Politics, Media studies, ICT Information and Communications Technologies
- Page Range:61-80
- No. of Pages:20
- Keywords:Russian troll factory; Internet; social media; progressively provocative content; pro-regime messages;
- Summary/Abstract:In the last 6 months increasing quantities of information have been released regarding exactly how attempts to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election may have been carried out. In this study we use a combination of quantitative analysis, machine learning and natural language processing to map out the topics of conversation promoted by the Russian troll factory, the Internet Research Agency (IRA) between 2015 and 2018. We show how this activity involves coordinated messaging across multiple social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Reddit and Instagram), and how this seeks to promote both sides of controversial debates with inflammatory material. Additionally, we demonstrate how real-world events are utilised to spread division in societies abroad with a common pattern of progressively provocative content. Finally, we show how this same agency uses these platforms for a very different purpose for domestic audiences, and spreads single pro-regime messages without attempts to intensify divisions at home. These results demonstrate how any successful solutions to counter this type of activity will need to tackle the problem from a multi-platform approach, and also must consider how alternative audiences may be targeted in different ways by hostile influence.
Countering Subversion Online: What Role for Public Policy?
Countering Subversion Online: What Role for Public Policy?
(Countering Subversion Online: What Role for Public Policy?)
- Author(s):Edward Christie
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Political Sciences, Communication studies, Social psychology and group interaction, Policy, planning, forecast and speculation, ICT Information and Communications Technologies
- Page Range:81-95
- No. of Pages:15
- Keywords:individualized political messaging; group dynamics and political polarization; platform algorithms and self-radicalization; falsehood dissemination dynamics; political subversion;
- Summary/Abstract:This final chapter aims to offer a synthesis of the main vulnerabilities that liberal democracies contend with, as they encounter contemporary forms of political subversion, and to propose a set of policy principles to guide ongoing reflections on how to best respond to that challenge. Four areas of vulnerability are identified, namely individualized political messaging; group dynamics and political polarization; platform algorithms and self-radicalization; and falsehood dissemination dynamics. In discussing each of these areas, insights are drawn from both very recent and more established academic research, at the crossroads of psychology, social psychology, communication studies, and political science. This leads to framing elements for the formulation of proposed policy principles, followed by examples of recent measures in selected countries.
Conclusion
Conclusion
(Conclusion)
- Author(s):Giorgio Bertolin
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Media studies, Security and defense, Behaviorism, ICT Information and Communications Technologies
- Page Range:96-97
- No. of Pages:2
- Keywords:technology; behavior; Internet; social media; information; data proliferation;
- Summary/Abstract:Throughout this publication, we have explored some of the ways in which technology can be exploited to influence our behavior. In this brief section, we offer some recommendations. Given current trends, it is likely that more and more personal data will be available online in the coming years. This issue is particularly delicate with regard to the personal data of people belonging to sensitive categories (such as servicemen/-women, government officials, and decision-makers). On the one hand, it will be necessary to devise ways to curb current trends for what concerns these categories, i.e. reducing the amount of information available on these individuals. On the other hand, it is equally important to consider how to mitigate the negative effects of data proliferation once data is already available and can be exploited by malicious actors. The research presented here has demonstrated that current standards must be improved to reduce the risks posed by personal data exploitation. Conducting experiments, such as the one described in this volume should be a staple component of tactical-level exercises and could significantly improve the awareness of our servicemen/-women.
