Author(s): Iulian CHIFU
Publication name: Romanian Intelligence Studies Review
Publisher name: Mihai Viteazul National Intelligence Academy
Publication type: Journal article
Publication date: December 31, 2019
Pagination:
Issue/ Volume: 22/2019
DOI:
Abstract
Information warfare has developed as a component of hybrid operations and as
a type of aggression. The purpose is to project an alternative reality to a designated
target population in order to create a perception which could enable it to put pressure
on the decision makers and to alter the well assessed, evaluated and planned strategic
decision on a very narrow and clear subject or theme. It is done by using a combination
of sequences of truth, deprived of their context, lies, innuendo, sophism, and
predetermined reflections, secret sources and some pieces of conspiracy theories.
So far, we have identified three generations of information warfare: the first one
includes disinformation and propaganda operations, troll wars, lobbying, psychological
operations, recruiting and conditioning; the second one uses the so-called sociological
groups objectivized in the virtual space; the third generation is that of micro-targeting
at the level of the entire groups of the population, Cambridge Analytica type of access. As
a result of this, we have reached between 82-95% probability of impact using big data
and high number of targets. The fourth generation makes the jump to targeting the
differences, meaning personalities, highly educated targets, high value targets, targets
which are protected due to their jobs and level of influence, who cannot be reached or
influenced at a statistic level of impact.
For these complex components, news methods are involved in obtaining the
same result. Offensive and defensive weapons are put in place, tailored attacks are
planned, and individual instruments used for each of the high value difficult to reach
target. Character assassination, labelling, change or doubling the identity, individual
programs that exploit weaknesses and obtain a “genuine response” which meets the goal
of projecting the alternative needed reality and “convincing” the unbeliever on a certain
needed interpretation, idea or reality, are put in place. Our work presents some of those
instruments that do not use criminal approaches like bribery, blackmail or forced
decisions of any kind, and instead focus on informational instruments and “the genuine
conviction of the subject”.
Keywords: information warfare, fourth generation, hybrid, impact
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License.