Move over Fake News, for Russia’s spy agency will surpass you in spreading bold-faced lies disguised as absolute truths. Four years ago, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) ordered three systems that automatically spread falsehoods, half-truths and deceptions over the Internet.
The systems were ordered by a suspicious-sounding Russian customer named “Military Unit 54939,” according to the Kommersant Daily newspaper. The newspaper said this military unit belongs to Moscow’s prominent spy agency, the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR). Incidentally, the SVR is Russia's primary external intelligence agency.
So, what are these three systems all
about? The first is called “Dispute.”
It constantly monitors the blogosphere and social networks and unearths and
targets critical propaganda attack points in order to single out the centers
where the information originates. It learns the ways by which the information is
spread through social networks and blogospheres and looks at factors that
affect the popularity of various reports among Internet users- “What makes some
info go viral?” they ask.
“Monitor-3”
is the second system ordered by Military Unit 54939. It serves as a digital
command post by organizing and managing a huge virtual community of controlled
disinformation agents who inject state propaganda into the hubs identified by
“Dispute.” The two systems work together, forming online virtual
communities of popular subject matter. The SVR ends up controlling the flow of
this information through the social media and across blogs.
The third, and probably most important system is “Storm-12.” It automatically spreads the necessary
information through the blogosphere, as well as “information support of
operations with pre-prepared scenarios of influence on mass audience in social
networks.”
The first two systems started at the end of 2012 and “Monitor-3” began in 2013.
The SVR refused comment on this matter, saying it has no obligations whatsoever
to answer questions posed by unknown foreign
reporters who call their offices about secret projects that may or may not be
used by them.
Is the SVR’s deluge
of daily, mixed messages, half-truths, misleading statements, and
out-and-out fabrications masquerading as facts appearing on your personal
computer screen? Are you a fall guy, a chump, for the SVR? Worse yet, have millions
of American voters became Putin’s saps during the 2016 presidential election
campaigns?
The CIA and NSA confirmed that Putin’s
government had repeatedly hacked into and leaked Democratic Party documents
throughout the presidential campaign. Instead of listening and learning from
this intelligence, President-Elect Trump ignored and contradicted it, then
insulted the CIA and NSA.
The SVR has not only aided Trump’s
campaign and interfered with America’s election process, it created a rift
between the future POTUS and the entire U.S. Intelligence Community (IC)
itself!
The forefather of the SVR, the KGB, turned
disinformation usage into an art form and expertly honed deception strategies
throughout the Cold War. It’s now resurrected its ugly, digital head on your
blogosphere and social media platforms. Beware.
Related post: Putin ramps up espionage activities against the U.S. and NATO
Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S. is a member of the Association Of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and writes the online spy novel series "Corey Pearson- CIA Spymaster in the Caribbean". The views expressed on this site do not represent those of any organization he is a member of. Contact him on the Secure Contact Form
Related post: Putin ramps up espionage activities against the U.S. and NATO
Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S. is a member of the Association Of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and writes the online spy novel series "Corey Pearson- CIA Spymaster in the Caribbean". The views expressed on this site do not represent those of any organization he is a member of. Contact him on the Secure Contact Form
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