Rand Waltzman, an Adjunct Senior Information Scientist at the RAND Corporation with 40 years of experience in AI, dives deep into the nuances of disinformation. He introduces the Disinformation 101 series, aimed at empowering individuals against false narratives. The discussion highlights tactics of disinformation, including cognitive denial of service, and underscores the need for critical thinking. Waltzman emphasizes individual responsibility in combating misinformation and the complexities of conspiracy beliefs, advocating for a proactive approach in the digital age.
Individuals must prioritize their own cognitive security and actively engage in challenging misinformation to foster societal improvements.
The Disinformation 101 series educates people on recognizing psychological manipulation tactics through new media, essential for vulnerability mitigation.
Deep dives
The Importance of Self-Reliance in Cognitive Security
In the current global environment, individuals must prioritize their own cognitive security, as no external entity is likely to provide help. A sense of realism is emphasized, asserting that each person should view themselves as an independent agent responsible for their own understanding and resilience against misinformation. This approach calls for individuals to take a proactive stance, asserting that true change starts at the grassroots level, where engaged citizens actively challenge prevailing narratives. By fostering a culture of skepticism and critical thinking, there's hope that community and societal improvements will follow suit.
The Disinformation 101 series is designed to educate individuals on recognizing and defending against psychological manipulation through new media. Originating as a course titled 'Defense Against the Dark Arts of Mass Manipulation,' the series aims to highlight tactics that attackers use to exploit cognitive vulnerabilities. Through a series of slides, which present key concepts in simple, engaging formats, individuals can learn how to identify when they are being manipulated. This knowledge is essential for vulnerability mitigation, as awareness plays a crucial role in reducing the effectiveness of such cognitive attacks.
Cognitive Denial of Service Attacks
Cognitive denial of service attacks can disrupt communication without technical interference, utilizing chaos to impair a targeted online environment. A notable tactic involves flooding social media channels with contradictory messages to drown out important information, effectively frustrating genuine participants. This technique exemplifies how cognitive manipulation exploits human behavior and communication patterns rather than relying on traditional cyber attacks. The subtlety of this method highlights the difficulty in detecting such attacks, as they masquerade as normal online discourse.
Exploiting Beliefs for Misinformation
The creation of fake narratives to incite response from specific target audiences exemplifies the manipulation of social tensions and beliefs. An example includes a staged event that prompted armed individuals to gather based on misleading claims, showcasing how misinformation can lead to real-world consequences. This tactic not only serves the immediate goal of distraction or disinformation, but it also risks escalating societal divisions by toying with the emotional responses of disparate groups. Such examples underline the need for higher vigilance and critical engagement with information circulating in public discourse.
The Cognitive Crucible is a forum that presents different perspectives and emerging thought leadership related to the information environment. The opinions expressed by guests are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of or endorsement by the Information Professionals Association.
During this episode, Rand Waltzman returns to the Cognitive Crucible to discuss his famous Disinformation 101 series.
Guest Bio: Dr. Rand Waltzman has 40 years of experience performing and managing research in Artificial Intelligence applied to domains including social media and cognitive security in the information environment. He is former Deputy Chief Technology Officer and currently an Adjunct Senior Information Scientist at the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica, CA. He is also a founding board member of the Information Professionals Association.
About: The Information Professionals Association (IPA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to exploring the role of information activities, such as influence and cognitive security, within the national security sector and helping to bridge the divide between operations and research. Its goal is to increase interdisciplinary collaboration between scholars and practitioners and policymakers with an interest in this domain.