Transcript Lecture Notes

Psyops and Perception
Management
Perception Management

Information operations that aim to affect
perception of others to influence
– Emotions
– Reasoning
– Decisions
– Actions
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Related to
Psychological Operations
Influence behavior by affecting human
Psyche (fear, desire, logic, etc.)
2
Injecting Content into Target’s
Information Space

Targeted population
 Communication medium
– Any medium that can be exploited
– Face-to-face, print, telecommunication,
internet, etc.
– Real time, broad audience (television, video,
etc.)
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Covert Action

“…attempt by one government to pursue its
foreign policy objectives by conducting
some secret activity to influence the
behavior of a foreign government or
political, military, economic, or societal
events and circumstances in a foreign
country.”
(Silent Warfare)
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Covert

Total secrecy: details or even the existence of
activities are confidential
 Unaccounted: actions are public knowledge but
government involvement is concealed
 Goal: direct furthering of national foreign policy
objectives
 Wide range of activities:
– Radio Free Europe,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_Free_Europ
e/Radio_Liberty
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Perception of a Foreign
Government
Goal: change foreign government’s policy
to support offense’s political interest
 Influence

– Foreign government’s perception
– Perceptions of elements of foreign society
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Agents of Influence

Influence directly government policy
 Data collection is not necessary
 Persuade colleagues to adopt certain policies
 E.g., government officials
– 1930-40s: Soviet intelligence agents working for U.S.
government (Harry Dexter White – Assistant Secretary
of the Dept. of Treasury),
https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-ofintelligence/csi-publications/csistudies/studies/vol49no1/html_files/harry_dexter_8.htm
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Agent of Influence
Trusted contact – willing to work for a
foreign government, no detailed
instructions, not paid
 Controlled agent – receives precise
instructions, usually paid
 Manipulated agent – unaware of serving a
foreign government

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Use of Information and
Disinformation

Providing information (or misinformation)
– Influence a desired action
– E.g., revealing identities of opponents’ intelligence
agents
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Origin of information
Sender of information
Misinformation
– Plausible
– “silent forgery”
– “deception operation”
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Perception of Foreign Society

Hard to measure
 Cumulative effect over long period of time
 Agents of Influence
– Interact with public – journalists, TV
commentator, etc.
– Prominent person – political figure, aid
organization, etc.

Culture
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Unattributed Propaganda
“Black” propaganda: origin is concealed
 Disseminating opinions, information or
misinformation via media
 Government may not be directly associated
with materials

– Increase believability
– Government may not want to be associated
with certain opinions
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Unattributed Propaganda
“Gray” propaganda: origin not public
knowledge
 E.g., Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty

– Information about targets’ own countries
– Information about the West
– Set up as private U.S. organizations but were
run by CIA

Planting stories in independent news media
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Global vs. Local Propaganda
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US WW I. posters,
http://www.firstworldwar.com/posters/usa.htm
US WW II posters, http://www.allposters.com/-st/WorldWar-II-Propaganda-Vintage-Art-Posters_c50710_.htm
Chinese posters, Cultural Revolution,
http://chineseposters.net/gallery/theme-07.php
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Offensive Operations

Information Space
 Communication Medium: any (TV, radio,
Internet, Web sites, e-mail, news groups,
etc.)
 Target: individuals, groups, nations, World
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Internet
Global Access – mass audiences
 Easy to set up Web sites
 Low cost (compare with broadcasting
radio, TV, etc.)
 “great equalizer”
 Authority over Internet?

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Tools for Perception Management

In War and Anti-War by Alvin and Heidi Toffler:
1. Atrocity accusations (true or false)
2. Hyperbolic inflation of stakes
3. Demonization and/or dehumanization of enemy
4. Polarization (if you are not with me, you are against me)
5. Claim of divine sanction
6. Meta-propaganda (discredit opponent’s propaganda)
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Psyops

Affect human psyche
– Goal: influence behavior
– Means: fear, desire, logic, etc.
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From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Egri_no_.jpg
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Lies and Distortions
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Widely used
Destroys the integrity of the carrying media
Cultural Differences?
Ethical/unethical?
Bad/Useful?
Digital media
– Fabrication, spoofed originator, modification, etc.
– Easy to carry out
– Trust in observation (senses: see, hear, touch, taste,
etc.)
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Distortion

Distort information
 Conscious/Unconscious
 Important elements ignored, down played
 Insignificant elements made to appear
important
 Digital media:
– Web page metatags: hidden data
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Fabrication

Fake information
 Must seem legitimate
 Goal: influence decision/activities of enemy
or competition, financial gain, popularity,
etc.
 Can be very effective
 Must know target
 Errors and intentional fabrications
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Hoaxes

Fabrications to
– Amuse
– Create fear
– Discredit/damage

Digital media:
– Easy to send hoax mail or post information
– Virus hoaxes
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Social Engineering

Trick people into doing something they
would not do if the truth is known.
 Means:
– Impersonating
– Threatening
– Pretend position/relationship/urgency/etc.
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Denouncement
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Discredit, defame, demonize, or dehumanize an
opponent
Goal: gain of support for the entity performing the
denouncement and loss for the adversary
Military/politics/economy/personal
Hate groups
Conspiracy theory
Defamation: damage the reputation and good
name of another
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Harassment

Targets opponent directly
 Unwanted, threatening messages
 Communication: in person, via medium
 Examples:
– Physical threat
– Hate mails
– Sexual harassment
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Advertising

Scam: cone artists lure customers into scam
– Fake prizes, telemarketing, etc.
– Internet: easy solicitations – junk e-mail, chat
room, newsgroups, Web site, etc.

Spam: junk e-mail
– Time consuming: read/process/delete
– Unwanted/useless/harmful data
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United State Restrictions

First Amendment to the Constitution of the United
States: freedom of speech and press
– Exception: child pornography, offensive and harmful
speech, obscene material, etc.
– Materials depicting violence ?

1996: Communications Decency Act (US
congress)
– Indecent material – restricting access to minors
– Controversial – civil liberties groups

1997: Supreme Court ruled that CDA sections 223
and 224 abridged First Amendment rights
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