'Deepfake' Videos Is The Newest Weapon In High-Tech Disinformation

Daily Beast: Inside the Deepfake ‘Arms Race’

Can countermeasures neutralize the coming wave of high-tech disinformation?

By late 2018, Ali Bongo, the president of Gabon in West Africa, hadn’t appeared in public for many months after reportedly suffering a stroke.

So it came as a surprise when a seemingly official video appeared online on New Year’s Day depicting Bongo, looking a bit disoriented, addressing the Gabonese people.

Bongo’s rivals declared the video to be a “deepfake”—a sophisticated digital forgery. Bongo was dead or incapacitated, the opposition declared. On Jan. 7, army officers launched an abortive coup.

Bongo wasn’t dead. And the video wasn’t a deepfake, just a weirdly-staged recording of an unwell man struggling to appear healthier than he apparently was. But the coup plotters were right about one thing. It’s entirely possible to fake a convincing video of a world leader... or anyone else, for that matter.

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Update #1: 'Deepfake' technology sees dramatic rise (DW)
Update #2: Prepare for the Deepfake Era of Web Video (Wired)

WNU Editor: The tech has definitely improved in the past two years. It is only a question of time before this is perfected to the point that we cannot tell the difference from the real thing.

Russian Information Warfare Is Changing The Face Of Warfare

A Ukrainian soldier drinks coffee in the trenches outside of Avdiivka in April 2017. Daniel Brown/Business Insider

Business Insider: Russian-backed separatists are using terrifying text messages to shock adversaries — and it's changing the face of warfare

* Since the war in Ukraine began in 2014, Russian-backed separatists have repeatedly employed all kinds of electronic and cyberwarfare tactics against Ukrainian troops.
* At times, Russian-backed separatists have combined electronic warfare, cyberwarfare, information operations and artillery strikes all in one.
* As such, a US Army colonel suggests that the US military, which has little experience fighting in such an environment, take steps to counteract such tactics in the future.

As the war in eastern Ukraine rages on, so too does Russia's invasive electronic warfare — and it's changing how war is fought by sending threats to individual soldier's phones, and those of their families.

Since the war began in 2014, Russian-backed separatists have repeatedly employed all kinds of electronic and cyberwarfare tactics against Ukrainian troops.

Although Russia's use of electronic warfare was limited during its 2008 invasion of Georgia, Russian-backed separatists, who are funded by the Kremlin and at times commanded by Russian troops, have used it proficiently in the Donbas, a section of southeastern Ukraine where the war is fought.

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WNU Editor: Disinformation warfare  has been a part of Russian military doctrine for as long as I can remember.

How Effective Is Russia's Disinformation Offensive?

Clifford D. May, Washington Times: Russia’s disinformation offensive

Just so there’s no confusion: This column is not about Americans conspiring or colluding or coordinating with Russians. That’s a separate controversy about which I don’t have a lot to say at this moment.

What this column is about: Dezinformatsiya, the Russian word that gave birth, in the 1980s, to the English neologism “disinformation.” Understand that disinformation is not a synonym for misinformation. The later implies information that happens to be wrong. The former implies an attempt to deceive public opinion for strategic purposes.

For decades, thousands of Soviet propagandists and espionage agents disseminated tons of dezinformatsiya around the world. Today, using social media, sophisticated tech platforms and cyber weapons, the Russian government, headed by Vladimir Putin, is running a dezinformatsiya offensive beyond Joseph Stalin’s wildest dreams.

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WNU Editor: Is it because of Russia that Progressives call their opponents neo-Nazis, or the alt-right calling their opponents Antifa thugs .... not really. U.S. political groups, mass media, interest groups .... they have been pushing their own agendas and opinions for as long as I can remember .... and long before bots, trolling farms, cyber weapons, and social media were around. It is just that it is now fashionable to blame all of this on someone else .... and the poster child today is Russia, and maybe tomorrow it will be China. Both countries have huge media empires, and they are always sending out their message and point of view 24/7 .... much to the ire of many in the West and elsewhere. But all is not lost. The best weapon against a disinformation campaign is to tell the truth .... and be consistent in that messaging. And while this may not persuade those who have already made up their mind .... the key is to be at peace with yourself, and being openly honest in expressing your point of view is a start.

Is A Popular British Twitter Poster With 100,000 Followers A Russian Intelligence Officer?

The person operating the account has denied allegations of links with Russia

The Independent: Pro-Brexit Twitter account account with 100,000 followers could be part of Russian 'disinformation campaign'

Experts warn thousands of fake and automated accounts are currently online.

A “passionate Brexit supporter” with more than 100,000 Twitter followers could be in the pay of the Russian government as part of an international disinformation campaign, analysts have said.

“David Jones” has been tweeting from the handle @DavidJo52951945 for more than four years, amassing an extensive following and interactions high-profile figures including Tommy Robinson and Ukip spokesman John Bickley.

The account has a profile picture of a union flag and the figure 52 per cent, which as was the winning proportion of votes last year’s EU-referendum.

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Update #1: Thousands of Twitter users ‘deceived by Russian agent’ (The Times)
Update #2: Twitter account suspected of being part of Russian disinformation campaign (The Australian)
Update #3: Is prolific anti-EU Twitter user really a Russian stooge? Kremlin agent 'may have been behind pro-Brexit account that posted 137,000 tweets' (Daily Mail)

WNU Editor: Apparently the person behind this Twitter account has posted that he is not a Russian agent .... but he has just put a protection wall on his account (his account is here). On a side note, I found this Daily Mail comment interesting ....

.... The account has a following of nearly 100,000 and has posted 137,000 tweets since being set up in 2013.

Keir Giles, a cyber and information security expert at Chatham House, told MailOnline the account was just 'one example' of other similar ones on Twitter.

He said that he had seen the tweets and it was a 'plausible explanation' to suggest that it was a Russian troll account.

Mr Giles added that it would have taken a 'superhuman' effort for just one person to have produced the huge number of daily tweets from the account.

This story is interesting to me because I started this blog 10 years ago, and I have made 85,000 posts during this time (in comparison to 137,000 tweets over 4 years for this British Twitter user who some suspect is a spy). Doing a post is far more time consuming than a tweet which takes a minute or two .... and on top of everything else, I do this blog in my spare time. Super-human .... LOL .... hardly. I estimated that if I was just tweeting instead of blogging I would probably have 200,000+ posts during this 4 year span.

Tracking Russian Propaganda In Real Time On Twitter

The banner for the Hamilton 68's homepage. Screenshot/Hamilton 68

Business Insider: A new website named after a Founding Father is tracking Russian propaganda in real time

* A new website is attempting to track the spread of Russian propaganda and themes on Twitter in real time.
* The project is an attempt to undermine Russia's disinformation campaign in the United States and the West more broadly.
* Researchers are continously monitoring roughly 600 Twitter accounts "selected for their relationship to Russian-sponsored influence and disinformation campaigns."

A website launched on Wednesday by a former FBI special agent-turned disinformation expert claims to track Russian propaganda in near-real time, as it spreads via Twitter accounts that have been linked to Russian influence operations.

Clint Watts, who garnered national media attention after testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee about Russia's ongoing cyber and propaganda war against the West, spearheaded the project called Hamilton 68 — a hat tip to the founding father's Federalist Papers No. 68.

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WNU Editor: The website for Hamilton 68 can be located here. It is interesting that the websites that are being flagged as being "stooges" of Russian disinformation campaigns are websites that are critical of progressives and Democratics. Is this a big thing .... no. I use Russian media sources all the time .... but I always identify who they are, and usually the reason why I post them is because I sense the story is accurate and true, and no one else is covering it. What would make Hamilton 68 a more interesting website is that if they track Russian themes on Twitter in real time, and then assess the accuracy of the tweets when time permits.

Hat tip to Fred for this link.

Report: Russia Is Behind A Massive Disinformation Campaign

A global espionage campaign involving email phishing attacks and leaked falsified documents is detailed in a report released Thursday by the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab. (Lee Jae-Won/Reuters)

CBC: Russian spies may have backed email phishing campaign in effort to spread disinformation

218 email accounts across 39 countries targeted, report by University of Toronto's Citizen Lab finds

New evidence of a global espionage campaign involving email phishing attacks and leaked falsified documents emerged on Thursday, with clues suggesting the Russian government might have been involved.

The targets spanned government, industry, military and civil society groups, each with ties to Russia or Russian interests, a report by the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab suggests.

Although there is no definitive proof of Russia's involvement in the attacks, there is "overlap" with previously reported Russian espionage activities — in particular, the work of a Russia-backed hacking group known as APT-28, or Fancy Bear.

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WNU Editor: The University of Toronto's Citizen Lab report is here .... Tainted Leaks: Disinformation and Phishing With a Russian Nexus (Citizen Lab/University of Toronto). They provide no proof .... just listing a bunch of clues and making their analysis based on this information. As to what is my take .... I would not be surprised if the Russian government is involved on some level .... but I do not think it is as big as they like to make it as. Speaking of phishing attacks .... I am targeted by these attacks almost everyday .... and some of them are very good. Just today I received emails from Apple and Paypal .... but they were/are fraudulent. Bottom line .... this is something that I have to always be alert for.

More News On Reports That Russia Is Behind A Massive Disinformation Campaign Impacting 39 Countries

Researchers say they’ve uncovered a disinformation campaign with apparent Russian link -- Washington Post
Russia's disinformation efforts hit 39 countries: researchers -- AFP
Russia-linked attack targets government officials, journalists, activists -- The Hill
Russian Hackers Are Using 'Tainted' Leaks to Sow Disinformation -- WIRED
Russia's disinformation efforts hit 39 countries: researchers -- Phys.org
E-mails phished from Russian critic were “tainted” before being leaked -- Ars Technica
New Report Details What Dirty Tricks Russian Cyber Hackers Use to Spread Lies and Mayhem -- AJ Vicens, Mother Jones

The Spread Of 'False Stories' Has Become A Powerful Russian Weapon

Neil Macfarquhar, Seattle Times/New York Times: Weaponization of information key part of Russian military doctrine

The planting of false stories is nothing new; the Soviet Union devoted considerable resources to that during the ideological battles of the Cold War. Now, though, disinformation is regarded as an important aspect of Russian military doctrine.

STOCKHOLM — With a vigorous national debate under way on whether Sweden should enter a military partnership with NATO, officials in Stockholm suddenly encountered an unsettling problem: a flood of distorted and outright false information on social media, confusing public perceptions of the issue.

The claims were alarming: If Sweden, a non-NATO member, signed the deal, the alliance would stockpile secret nuclear weapons on Swedish soil; NATO could attack Russia from Sweden without government approval; NATO soldiers, immune from prosecution, could rape Swedish women without fear of criminal charges.

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WNU Editor: Disinformation has always been a part of Soviet (and now Russian) doctrine. But truth be told .... Western European countries, the U.S. .... all other countries and empires throughout history .... everyone has used some form of disinformation to promote their agenda.