Information Operations

Social Media Analysis

commentary
Elon Musk May Have a Point About Bots on Twitter
Twitter has a deep bench of engineers working for the company. They have access to trillions of data points on their over 300 million monthly active users. Why has a company this size struggled to clean up its platform?
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Sep 23, 2022
Marek N. Posard @mnposard

Information Operations

commentary
Debunking Russian Lies About Biolabs at Upcoming U.N. Meetings
Before Russia invaded Ukraine in February, its diplomatic missions began circulating some particularly fantastical lies. It's tempting to write off such claims as cartoonish propaganda. But Russia is making similarly outrageous claims to the United Nations and other international forums. Such maneuvers could dangerously undermine international arms control agreements.
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Sep 12, 2022
John V. Parachini @JohnParachini
Media Literacy

commentary
Facebook Misinformation Is Bad Enough. The Metaverse Will Be Worse
Virtual reality environments such as the metaverse will enable psychological and emotional manipulation of users at a level unimaginable in today's media. We must not wait until these technologies are fully realized to consider appropriate guardrails for them. We can reap the benefits of the metaverse while minimizing its potential for great harm.
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Aug 22, 2022
Rand Waltzman
Educational Institutions

commentary
New Legislation May Not Be Enough to Counter Chinese Interference in British Universities
There is alarming evidence of growing Chinese espionage and influence in UK universities that could threaten UK national security and academic freedoms. Three complementary initiatives could increase university researchers' awareness of the potential risks of collaborating with certain Chinese partners.
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Jul 8, 2022
Fiona Quimbre @FQuimbre
National Security Organizations

commentary
The Irony of Misinformation: USIA Myths Block Enduring Solutions
Unlike Russia and China, the U.S. government has failed to institutionalize the importance of information in foreign policy. The United States lacks formalized leadership structures to tackle information issues head on, and a central organization to coordinate activities to understand, inform, and influence foreign audiences.
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Jul 7, 2022
Christopher Paul, Matt Armstrong
Russia

commentary
War of the Worlds: How Cognitive Dissonance and Repression Shape Russian Perceptions of the Conflict in Ukraine
Cognitive dissonance theory offers a compelling explanation for one of the confounding phenomena emerging from the war in Ukraine—Russians who refuse to believe their Ukrainian family members' lived experiences of the war. How is it that of the two cognitions Russians are wrestling with, the Kremlin's manufactured truth often prevails?
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Jun 29, 2022
Alyssa Demus
Gun Policy

blog
Gun Policy, China and Taiwan, Russian Propaganda: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on reducing America's unacceptably high rates of gun violence, what would happen if China “quarantines” Taiwan, and Russia's “firehose of falsehood.”
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May 27, 2022
Information Operations

blog
Combating Disinformation by Bolstering Truth and Trust
For Jessica Cecil, founder and former head of the Trusted News Initiative, today feels a bit like the Dark Ages after the fall of the Roman Empire, in which agreed-upon facts endure in only a few isolated places of elite discussion and there is no common language of politics. She spoke about the need for governments, companies, news organizations, and relevant civil society groups to work together to combat disinformation at a meeting of RAND Europe's Council of Advisors.
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May 24, 2022
Information Operations

blog
Russia Will Struggle to Sustain Its Disinformation Machine, Former New York Times/BBC Chief Tells RAND Europe
As former head of the New York Times and the BBC, Mark Thompson has tackled disinformation on both sides of the Atlantic. One of his big takeaways: It's not as easy as you might think to sustain a successful disinformation campaign.
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May 24, 2022
Military Strategy

commentary
Effective Use of Nonlethal Weapons Could Require Combating Disinformation
The temporary and reversible effects of nonlethal weapons reduce the potential for collateral damage while mitigating the risk of inadvertent escalation in peacetime and gray-zone situations. But public perceptions can have powerful effects on how these systems are employed and the impact of their use.
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Apr 22, 2022
Sydney Litterer, Krista Romita Grocholski
Cybersecurity

commentary
Preparing for a Cyberattack Starts at the Local Level
The ongoing Russian war in Ukraine has highlighted the need for federal, state, and local level emergency managers to prepare to respond to a cyberattack with widespread impacts that significantly disrupt critical infrastructure.
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Apr 18, 2022
Clara Decerbo, Grace Hindmarch, et al.
Counterinsurgency

blog
Employing Insurgency in Ukraine, U.S. Hospital Prices, Reaching the Middle Class: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on how insurgency could give Ukraine an edge over Russia, repurposing commercial buildings to help address L.A.’s housing crisis, Americans’ options for reaching the middle class, and more.
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Apr 8, 2022
Information Operations

commentary
Don't Sleep on Russian Information War Capabilities
Ukraine looks to have Russia beat in countering Russian disinformation. But this is only part of the story. Instead of fixating on Russia's missteps, policymakers and analysts would benefit from studying Ukraine's sophisticated information campaign while bearing in mind that Russia retains significant information warfare capabilities and a willingness to use them.
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Apr 5, 2022
Alyssa Demus, Christopher Paul
Communication Technology

commentary
Why the BBC World Service's New Ukrainian Shortwave Service Matters
Despite its age, shortwave remains an enduring tool in the global fight against disinformation. It can travel vast distances, cannot be hacked, and is notoriously difficult to jam. Perhaps it's time for the United States to consider whether it should follow the BBC's lead in restarting shortwave services to Ukraine and southeastern Russia.
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Mar 25, 2022
Benjamin J. Sacks
Russia

blog
Keeping Russians Informed, No-Fly Zone Policy, Telehealth: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on how to ensure Russians have access to accurate news about the war in Ukraine, strategic considerations for keeping a no-fly zone option on the table, treating pain conditions among U.S. service members, and more.
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Mar 18, 2022
Information Operations

commentary
Keeping Russians Informed About Ukraine Could Help End This War
Russia has taken increasingly aggressive actions to restrict access of information about the war in Ukraine. Ensuring that the Russian people know the truth about what their government is doing in Ukraine could bring this war to an end soon rather than later.
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Mar 14, 2022
Todd C. Helmus @Helmus, Andrew Radin @andrewmradin

Page 1 of 9

Health Care Consolidation: What Does the Evidence Say?

Russian Coercive Signaling Toward the West

American Investment in Mideast to Stay Focused on Larger Economies Amid Ukraine War

Civic Education, Twitter's Bot Problem, Police Reform: RAND Weekly Recap

Addressing Homelessness Among Individuals Incarcerated in Los Angeles County

The Policy Currents Podcast

Improving Psychological Wellbeing and Work Outcomes in the UK

Managing Escalation in Crisis and War

Getting to Know Military Caregivers and Their Needs

Planning for the Rising Costs of Dementia

Information Operations

Elon Musk May Have a Point About Bots on Twitter

Debunking Russian Lies About Biolabs at Upcoming U.N. Meetings

Facebook Misinformation Is Bad Enough. The Metaverse Will Be Worse

New Legislation May Not Be Enough to Counter Chinese Interference in British Universities

The Irony of Misinformation: USIA Myths Block Enduring Solutions

War of the Worlds: How Cognitive Dissonance and Repression Shape Russian Perceptions of the Conflict in Ukraine

Gun Policy, China and Taiwan, Russian Propaganda: RAND Weekly Recap

Combating Disinformation by Bolstering Truth and Trust

Russia Will Struggle to Sustain Its Disinformation Machine, Former New York Times/BBC Chief Tells RAND Europe

Effective Use of Nonlethal Weapons Could Require Combating Disinformation

Preparing for a Cyberattack Starts at the Local Level

Employing Insurgency in Ukraine, U.S. Hospital Prices, Reaching the Middle Class: RAND Weekly Recap

Don't Sleep on Russian Information War Capabilities

Why the BBC World Service's New Ukrainian Shortwave Service Matters

Keeping Russians Informed, No-Fly Zone Policy, Telehealth: RAND Weekly Recap

Keeping Russians Informed About Ukraine Could Help End This War

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