Articles
Covert Influence Operations and Disinformation Tactics
Topic
Defence and security
Foreign policy
Subtopic
National security
Total Defence
24 March 2022
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The Russia-Ukraine conflict has brought out info-wars between vested parties seeking to influence public opinion. Social media is filled with first-hand accounts of what is happening on the ground. And just as many are also disputed. Some are deliberately misleading and intend to discredit or even cause harm. And while some may have been spread inadvertently, others could be part of larger covert influence operations.
#TIL that when caught in the crosshairs of claims and counterclaims, there are ways to sort out facts from falsehoods. Shelby Grossman, a research scholar at the Stanford Internet Observatory (SIO), offers some tips on weeding out disinformation on the conflict. She suggests readers check information sources for claims and stay aware of the political agenda of content. Reverse image search can also help you spot old media circulating outside its original text, and manipulated images. Before donating funds, check where your funds are headed. Read the article here.
The harm that can be caused by influence operations extend beyond the current conflict in Ukraine. Disinformation tactics also take place in other areas to sow seeds of discord in communities, and to pull nations apart. Singapore is not immune to these challenges, as Minister of Home Affairs Mr K Shanmugam has pointed out. It is just as important for us to weed them out, wherever and whenever they occur.