AN INTELLIGENCE-BASED APPROACH TO COUNTERING SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCE OPERATIONS
AN INTELLIGENCE-BASED APPROACH TO COUNTERING SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCE OPERATIONS

Summary/Abstract: The paper describes an intelligence-based approach to identify, understand and counter influence operations and campaigns that are sponsored, directed, or conducted by State or non-state actors on/through social media platforms. It examines the extent to which the collection and analysis of social media data and further contextual information can provide actionable insight into influence-aimed activities perpetrated by both State and non-state actors. It also discusses how to employ such insight for tailoring effective counter-measures at the operational, tactical and strategic levels. The paper starts by conceptually framing social media platforms and services as tools for exercising influence – or cyber-influence/persuasion – over a target. For this purpose, it examines the notions of “influence operations” and/or “campaigns”, presents their featuring elements, and shortly discusses if, how and to what extent they have changed or are changing due to the emergence of the cyber-space and new technological platforms. The study benefits from the review of the recently available literature dedicated to the employment of social media for influence purposes as well as the examination of few selected and documented case studies. Then the paper examines the crafting of intelligence on influence operations form social media data and metadata, in particular on actors engaging in these operations, their employed capabilities, modus operandi, intended goals as well as the operational constraints they face. It outlines the collection and analytical techniques serving the purpose of producing social media intelligence, presents their general advantages and limits, and highlights the challenge of enriching the knowledge on influence operations with further contextual information and intelligence. The paper concludes by proposing recommendations on how to implement the intelligence-based approach to countering influence operations or campaigns over social media in an effective manner. These include the acquisition of the necessary capabilities (human, technological, and organisational) to monitor and analyse social media information. They also include the definition of a framework to better integrate intelligence from social media in to a consistent all-source intelligence system.

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