We are being defeated in a digital war but there is still time to fight back
Last year, Russia and its allies engineered a rift between truth and lies, fact and fake news, humans and bots and the bots are winning. They're winning because social-media firms profit from all traffic whatever the source and governments are simply too slow to counter this threat.
Add to this the evidence of Russian-backed attacks on key institutions of Western democracy: the European Union and Brexit, the Democratic National Committee and the Podesta e-mails. And top this off with a debilitating attack on the National Security Agency itself by an allegedly Russia-linked group called the Shadow Brokers. We are at "e-war": We've traded bullets for bots, soldiers for coders and the Berlin Wall for a firewall.
Russian disinformation like its more overt Islamic State cousin is designed to fuel animosities and exploit existing cleavages. The people behind it are not only hate-filled but also experts on audience segmentation. Although diametrically opposed to each other on social, ethnic, political and religious grounds, Russia and the Islamic State are ironically employing the very same techniques to further their respective agendas.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/amp/opinion/we-are-being-defeated-in-a-digital-war-but-there-is-still-time-to-fight-back/article37513436/?__twitter_impression=true
democratisphere
(17,235 posts)and 2020 elections if something is not done about it. Brilliant minded cyber Democrats need to stepup and counter the attacks that have already started.
The Wizard
(12,547 posts)plant false information. The best way to defeat liars is by lying to them. Liars depend on everyone else to be honest. Lying to a liar is like throwing a monkey wrench in a fan.
dchill
(38,532 posts)You'd better duck and cover.
I would guess the fan would shatter.
FreepFryer
(7,077 posts)Lying is for liars.
The truth will set us free.
rock
(13,218 posts)The shards from a spinning mass will radiate outward, so just be sure to stand in front of the fan when you through in the wrench!
FreepFryer
(7,077 posts)FreepFryer
(7,077 posts)JonLP24
(29,322 posts)Wahabbis couldn't care less about divisions they are interested in recruiting cult followers. Russia has a long history of espionage and with technology it is more fierce. 2016 was their "boldest yet" Ukraine was where the test all the stuff. They are interested in turning allies against each see Trump demanding NATO nations to pay more, "America first", etc.