Psyops and Perception Management

1
Psyops and Perception Management
2
Reading List

• This class and next
• Denning Chapters 5, 6
• A review of FBI Security Programs,
  http//www.usdoj.gov/05publications/websterreport.
  pdf (Intro, conclusion)
  
• Insider threat to security may be harder to
  detect, experts say, http//www.computerworld.com/
  securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,70112,00.htm
  l
• Treason 101, http//rf-web.tamu.edu/security/secgu
  ide/Treason/Intro.htmTreason20101

3
Project

• Project proposal 2-3 pages, double spaced, 11
  pt. Turn in hard copy of the proposal in class.
  
• Main area of the proposed project
• Goal of the project and importance of the goal
• Initial list of relevant materials
• Your qualification for making the project
  successful
  
• The aim of the research paper is that you gain
  understanding of a specific topic in Information
  Warfare, and identify future directions of the
  field. Try to answer questions like Are the
  current legislations sufficient to address IW
  topic?, How national and international law and
  policy deals with topic ?, Is the current
  technology used effectively to address IW problem
  ?, etc.
• Be careful not to try to do too much, which will
  result in lower quality work. Aim for
  correctness, and understanding of the chosen
  topic.
• Due date February 16, 2009
• Groups
• Web site

4
Homework 2

• Perception Management
• Present Explain how perception management
  techniques have changed during the last 30 years
  due to IT revolution. Pick a specific area,
  e.g., deception, propaganda, etc., to explain new
  methods.
• Past Describe 1 techniques of perception
  management used by B. Obama and J. McCain during
  the presidential campaign. Write a hypothetical
  scenario how Theodore Roosevelt (President
  1901-1909) may have attempted to reach the same
  objective.
• Future Analyze a future scenarios of perception
  management and IT development.
  
• Due February 16, 2009

5
Perception Management

• Information operations that aim to affect
  perception of others to influence
  
• Emotions
• Reasoning
• Decisions
• Actions

6
Covert Action

• attempt by one government to pursue its foreign
  policy objectives by conducting some secret
  activity to influence the behavior of a foreign
  government or political, military, economic, or
  societal events and circumstances in a foreign
  country.
• (Silent Warfare)

7
Covert

• Total secrecy details or even the existence of
  activities are confidential
  
• Unaccounted actions are public knowledge,
  government involvement is concealed
  
• Goal direct furthering of national foreign
  policy objectives
  
• Wide range of activities
• Todays topic perception management

8
Perception of a Foreign Government

• Goal change foreign governments policy to
  support offenses political interest
  
• Influence
• Foreign governments perception
• Perceptions of elements of foreign society

9
Agents of Influence

• Influence directly government policy
• Data collection is not necessary
• Persuade colleagues to adopt certain policies
• E.g., government officials
• 1930-40s Soviet intelligence agents working for
  U.S. government (Harry Dexter White Assistant
  Secretary of the Dept. of Treasury)
  
• 1976 in France Pierre-Charles Pathe founded
  Synthese (political newsletter). 1979 convicted
  for espionage and being an agent of influence.

10
Agent of Influence

• Trusted contact willing to work for a foreign
  government, no detailed instructions, not paid
  
• Controlled agent receives precise instructions,
  usually paid
  
• Manipulated agent unaware of serving a foreign
  government

11
Use of Information and Disinformation

• Providing information (or misinformation)
• Influence a desired action
• E.g., revealing identities of opponents
  intelligence agents
  
• Origin of information
• Sender of information
• Misinformation
• Plausible
• silent forgery
• deception operation

12
Perception of Foreign Society

• Hard to measure
• Cumulative effect over long period of time
• Agents of Influence
• Reach public journalists, TV commentator, etc.
• Prominent person political figure, aid
  organization, etc.
  
• Culture

13
Unattributed Propaganda

• Black propaganda origin is concealed
• Disseminating opinions, information or
  misinformation via media
  
• Government may not be directly associated with
  materials
  
• Increase believability
• Government may not want to be associated with
  certain opinions

14
Unattributed Propaganda

• Gray propaganda origin not public knowledge
• E.g., Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty
• Information about targets own countries
• Information about the West
• Set up as private U.S. organizations but were run
  by CIA
  
• Planting stories in independent news media

15
Offensive Operations

• Information Space
• Communication Medium any (TV, radio, Internet,
  Web sites, e-mail, news groups, etc.)
  
• Target individuals, groups, nations, World

16
Internet

• Global Access mass audiences
• Easy to set up Web sites
• Low cost (compare with broadcasting radio, TV,
  etc.)
  
• great equalizer
• Authority over Internet?

17
Tools for Perception Management

• In War and Anti-War by Alvin and Heidi Toffler
• Atrocity accusations
• Hyperbolic inflations
• Demonization and/or dehumanization
• Polarization
• Claim of divine sanction
• Meta-propaganda

18
Psyops

• Affect human psyche
• Goal influence behavior
• Means fear, desire, logic, etc.

19
Lies and Distortions

• Widely used
• Destroys the integrity of the carrying media
• Ethical/unethical?
• Bad/Useful?
• Digital media
• Fabrication, spoofed originator, modification,
  etc.
  
• Easy to carry out
• Trust in observation (senses see, hear, touch,
  taste, etc.)

20
Distortion

• Distort information
• Conscious/Unconscious
• Important elements ignored, down played
• Insignificant elements made to appear important
• Digital media
• Web page metatags hidden data

21
Fabrication

• Fake information
• Must seem legitimate
• Goal influence decision/activities of enemy or
  competition, financial gain, popularity, etc.
  
• Can be very effective
• Must know target
• Errors and intentional fabrications

22
Hoaxes

• Fabrications to
• Amuse
• Create fear
• Discredit/damage
• Digital media
• Easy to send hoax mail or post information
• Virus hoaxes

23
Social Engineering

• Trick people into doing something they would not
  do if the truth is known.
  
• Means
• Impersonating
• Threatening
• Pretend position/relationship/urgency/etc.

24
Denouncement

• Discredit, defame, demonize, or dehumanize an
  opponent
  
• Goal gain of support for the entity performing
  the denouncement and loss for the adversary
  
• Military/politics/economy/personal
• Hate groups
• Conspiracy theory
• Defamation damage the reputation and good name
  of another

25
Harassment

• Targets opponent directly
• Unwanted, threatening messages
• Communication in person, via medium
• Examples
• Physical threat
• Hate mails
• Sexual harassment

26
Advertising

• Scam cone artists lure customers into scam
• Fake prizes, telemarketing, etc.
• Internet easy solicitations junk e-mail, chat
  room, newsgroups, Web site, etc.
  
• Spam junk e-mail
• Time consuming read/process/delete
• Unwanted/useless/harmful data

27
Censorship

• Offensive denies population access to certain
  materials
  
• Defensive protect society from materials that
  would undermine its culture or governance
  
• Internet makes censorship difficult
• Children Internet Protection Act, 2000
  (http//www.ifea.net/cipa.html ,
  http//www.cybertelecom.org/cda/cipa.htm )
  
• Free speech online
• Electronic Frontier Foundation http//www.eff.org/
  br/
  
• http//www.anu.edu.au/mail-archives/link/link9810/
  0378.html
  

28
United State Restrictions

• First Amendment to the Constitution of the United
  States freedom of speech and press
  
• Exception child pornography, offensive and
  harmful speech, obscene material, etc.
  
• Materials depicting violence ?
• 1996 Communications Decency Act (US congress)
• Indecent material restricting access to minors
• Controversial civil liberties groups
• 1997 Supreme Court ruled that CDA sections 223
  and 224 abridged First Amendment rights