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.
Author(s): Norman Vasu; Benjamin Ang; Shashi Jayakumar
Publisher: World Scientific Publishing Co.
Year: 2019
Language: English
Pages: xxii+178
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
