Media coverage for manipulated content
Data & Society published a report on source hacking, a media manipulation tactic aimed to obscure the origin of the information. The researchers describe four source hacking techniques and provide examples of their application.
Viral sloganeering is spreading short slogans that present a simplified view of complex and controversial topics through memes, hashtags, videos, flyers, etc. A good example is the “Jobs not Mobs” slogan that went viral after being artificially amplified by anonymous right-wing social media users. When the slogan reached President Trump, news outlets were forced to report on it and thus give it more traction.
Leak forgery is a release of fake incriminating documents to influence a political process. The Macron Leak, a Kremlin-orchestrated distribution of forged documents in combination with authentic ones aimed to influence the media and sway the 2017 French presidential election was unsuccessful only because of timely actions taken by the authorities.
Evidence collage is an easily shared image made up of screenshots and text looking like incriminating evidence. Such collages combine accurate and doctored pieces of information and can gain significant traction during breaking news events, as happened in 2017 when an innocent person was blamed for the Charlottesville car attack.
Keyword squatting is a creation of social media profiles and content associated with political and social movements to “occupy” certain keywords and topics and shape narratives in the future. In 2017, Facebook removed hundreds of accounts and pages associated with Black activism, conservatism, LGBT issues, etc. that were controlled by Russian “troll farm.”
The common denominator of these techniques is disguising authorship to avoid scrutiny and seeking media coverage for amplification. The new terms suggested by the authors can make identification of future influence operations easier and their description more accurate.
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