Defending Against Disinformation
An in-depth look into the various aspects behind one of society’s largest threats online: disinformation. Specifically, how to defend against this threat without infringing on Americans’ First Amendment rights. Taking a look into the strategies used by different countries, to attack or defend from it, and how social medias are currently handling it. With these in mind, certain outputs were created to potentially help combat the spread of disinformation and share the researcher’s thoughts.
This research was conducted by Claire Smith through Girl Security’s pilot Scholars program.
What is Disinformation?
Disinformation in America dates back to the mid-20th century in the Cold War. The CIA developed a psychological warfare effort against Eastern Europe through a forget magazine called “Tarantel”. ““The CIA had discovered that disinformation worked best when factual content was carried by phone outlets - when the source was fake, but the content was accurate” (pg. 72 “Active Measures”). Though America was introduced to disinformation through using it to its advantage, today disinformation is constantly used to take advantage of the openness of democracy, in which there is little defense.
In 2016, Russia conducted one of the most prominent disinformation attacks on the presidential election. “The IRA [Internet Research Agency] produced more than 57,000 Twitter posts, 2,400 Facebook posts, and 2,600 Instagram posts… The scope of this effort prompted The New York Times to describe the Russian campaign as ‘the Pearl Harbor of the social media age: a singular act of aggression that ushered in an era of extended conflict’” (PNAS). These efforts were completed through fake social media accounts, spewing increasing skewed political information to cause extreme political tensions and divide. Strategies used by fake accounts include promoting certain ideas to attract users through curated algorithms, gain their trust, then slowly, psychologically, shift their thoughts and feelings against certain governmental topics.
KEY TERMS:
DISINFORMATION: False and unfactual information, usually found on an online platform, with the malicious intent to misinform and cause political discord.
FREE SPEECH: The notion that American thought voiced is protected by the First Amendment - the rules of written speech apply to online speech. American citizens can perform any act of speech without regulation.
SOCIAL MEDIA: Areas of cyberspace that are moderated by corporations that curate specific forms of content for its users, usually created by its users.
Areas of Study
First Amendment
The first amendment is one of the pillars of American democracy. However, disinformation acts as a threat to many democratic values and national security. How can this democratic country create regulation around disinformation without infringing on the inherent rights of U.S. citizens?
Global Offense & Defense
A case study on the attackers and defenders of disinformation. The attackers focused on in this project were Russia and China, with defense strategies from Sweden and the U.K..
Social Media Companies
Disinformation is the most present on social media. There, it causes the most democratic discord. These companies are currently taking little responsibility for this malicious content, claiming that they are merely platforms. However, some strategies of defense are currently being attempted. The social media companies studied in this project include Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Is there a solution?
Regulation, Education, and Advocacy
Regulation takes form in legislation that requires social media corporations to take responsibility for the disinformation occurring on their platforms. This responsibility goes with not allowing it to occur again, which could potentially be achieved through regulating these corporations through publisher laws only on grounds of disinformation.
However, change starts within communities, and that change is primarily through education. Teachers in curriculums revolving around the American government, civics, or the cyber space can implement a simple curriculum guide into their classes to foster a better educated user population on in the cyberspace to identify disinformation. These classes would be directed toward middle and high school students - the most well-versed users of the cyberspace.
Finally, advocating for disinformation starts outside of the classroom. A developing social media campaign geared towards Generation Z advocates for how to spot and vet disinformation when come across online.