DRUMS: Distortions, Rumours, Untruths, Misinformation, and Smears

Description

Fake news is not new, and this issue poses an even greater challenge now. The speed of information has increased drastically with messages now spreading internationally within seconds online. With countless photographs, opinions, and hours of video published online every falsehoods proliferate rapidly. Readers are overwhelmed by the flood of information, but older markers of veracity (respected publications, official sources) have not kept up, nor has there been a commensurate growth in the ability to counter false or fake news. In many cases, staid publications of record such as newspapers have been eclipsed by new, visually attractive, and sometimes false, sources of information. All this has given an opportunity to those seeking to destabilize a state or to push their perspectives to the fore. Modern disinformation operations only need free Twitter or Facebook accounts or access to platforms such as WhatsApp or Telegram. DRUMS: Distortions, Rumours, Untruths, Misinformation and Smears deals with the appeal of DRUMS, the ways DRUMS is employed, and measures to counter it. Organized in three sections — (i) Cognitive Predispositions and DRUMS, (ii) The Employment of DRUMS, and (iii) Countering DRUMS — this book offers a holistic discussion through the different specializations and different experiences of its academic, think-tanker, or policy practitioner contributors. DRUMS: Distortions, Rumours, Untruths, Misinformation and Smears aims to serve those new the topic or subject matter specialists seeking to widen their knowledge on other elements of the issue. CONTENTS Introduction: The Seemingly Unrelenting Beat of DRUMS The DRUMS Family Cognitive Predispositions and DRUMS The Employment of DRUMS Countering DRUMS Moving Forward References Part 1 Cognitive Predispositions and DRUMS Chapter 1 The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories: The Role of Pattern Perception Conspiracism and Human Psychology Illusory Pattern Perception Connections and Causes Conclusion References Chapter 2 Believing Chicken Little: Evolutionary Perspectives on Credulity and Danger Introduction Evidence of Negatively-Biased Credulity and Informational Negativity Bias Individual Differences in Negatively-Biased Credulity Parallel Hazard Biases in Information Selection and Transmission Hazard Biases and the Content of Culture Conclusion References Part 2 The Employment of DRUMS Chapter 3 Fake News: The Allure of the Digital Weapon Recent Information/Disinformation Wars Defending Against False Information and Fake News Engaging Social Media Platforms Legislation Counter-messaging Education and Critical Thinking Conclusion References Chapter 4 Mapping Cyberspace: The Example of Russian Informational Actions in France Identifying and Mapping Pro-Russian Networks on the French-Speaking Segment of Twitter An Analysis of the Propagation of Fake or Biased Information: The Example of the Days Between the Two Rounds of the 2017 French Presidential Election References Chapter 5 Computational Propaganda in Europe, the U.S., and China The Rise of Computational Propaganda Computational Propaganda in the U.S. and Europe Chinese Computational Propaganda Automation, Computation, and Propaganda in China Computational Propaganda in and about China How Does Technology and Society Enable Computational Propaganda? Conclusion References Chapter 6 Civilians in the Information Operations Battlefront: China’s Information Operationsin the Taiwan Straits Introduction “Three Warfares” and the People’s War Framework: ‘Three Warfares’ People’s War The PRC’s Use of Civilian Force in its Operations Against Taiwan Media Manipulation via Media Owners, Content Creators, and Journalists Influence and Espionage by Civilians in Taiwan Taiwan’s Capacity to Respond Allegiance Warfare Political Warfare Bureau Other Institutions Responsible for the PRC Affairs Cyber Army and Cyber Troops Digital Platforms Disinformation Specific Initiatives Is There Room for Improvement? Integration of Citizens Delivering a Consistent and Timely Message Lessons for Other States Understanding the Threat Citizen Participation in Policy Responses Mobilizing Citizens against IO Citizen Participation in Responding to IO References Part 3 Countering DRUMS Chapter 7 Integrating Resilience in Defense Planning Against Information Warfare in the Post-Truth World The Fourth Dimension of Modern War Understanding the Audience The Receptivity Variable The Need for Resilience References Chapter 8 What Can We Learn from Russian Hostile Information Operations in Europe? Why are States Using the Hostile Foreign Influence Toolkit? What are the Features of Russia’s Hostile Foreign Influence Toolkit? How are Hostile Actions Defined? Recent Lessons Learnt from Europe: A Case Study of 2017 German and French Elections Cyber-Security Precautions are the New Black A Last-Minute Fight Against Disinformation is Useless It is Too Late to Get Angry Once you Get Attacked Russia Learnt its Lesson, Europe Should Too References Chapter 9 How Germany is Trying to Counter Online Disinformation Overview The Lisa Case Methods and Motives Initiatives Hoaxmap Fact-Checking Initiatives Legal Situation Conclusion References Chapter 10 Distinguishing Fact from Fiction in the Modern Age Educating People for a Post-Truth World The Post-Truth Information Age Knowledge, Skills, and Character Qualities for the Post-Truth Information Age Educating for the Post-Truth Information Age About the Editors About the Contributors