Abstract: Disinformation campaigns and black propaganda are not new, but they are evolving. Media coverage of disinformation and propaganda has focused primarily on the social-first memetic operations of the Internet Research Agency and its targeting of the United States 2016 presidential election. This talk examines a broader collection of influence operations, all affiliated with one state adversary – Russia – but leveraging distinctly different tactics. It investigates a 'playbook' that is far more expansive (and evolving) than previously understood, and assesses disinformation campaigns along several axes. We explore narrative vs memetic pathways, long-term vs discrete actions, and a collection of goals ranging from persuasion to distraction. This talk also discusses how online influence operations are deployed in conjunction hack-and-leak campaigns, and community infiltration.
Renne DiResta