Behavioral Characteristics: Analysis of potential Actor(s) Part 1
Social Media IO Roundup
This project is focused on identifying possible State-Sponsored Information Operations (IO) across various Social Media platforms.
“It is difficult to free fools from the chains they revere..”
- Voltaire
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Review:
Social Media IO: Actor(s), Examples, Techniques PART 2
Wrap up:
For this release we will cover the following:
Black Hat (PR/SEO)
What is digital marketing (Segmentation, targeting, positioning)? How is this related to IO?
What is a Chatbot?
What is find, fix, finish? How is this related to IO?
What is a Platform (Google/Facebook/Instagram ADs)?
What is geofencing?
What is engagement?
What is micro-targeting?
What is Branding?
What is spam?
What is fake news?
Social Media IO: Actor(s), Examples, Techniques PART 1
Wrap up:
For this release we will cover the following:
What is an Actor?
What is a CVE and why is it important?
What is Phishing?
What is a Tribe (marketing to a people)?
What is a MEME (low cost with high return)
What is Memetic warfare?
What is a Troll factory?
Influence operations (Expanded).
Examples of influence operations (China, Russia, Iranian).
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Watch First:
Introduction to User Behavioral Analysis(UBA) and Social Networking Analysis(SNA).
In order to do the analysis, we need to learn some concepts, jargon, and tools.
Social networking platforms are used for interactions and information sharing. Its popularity in current society has allowed researchers the opportunity to analyze the relationships and activities of user behavior(s). In this newsletter release the term “user behavior” is used in the context of identifying, analyze, and classify the characteristics associated with user actions on a given social media platform. Identifying the data (labeling patterns) visually displays easier-to-see connections and relationships.
Overview of Behavior Analysis:
User behavior analytics (UBA) is a process that can be used for the detection of insider threats, user patterns, and targeted attacks. UBA solutions look at patterns of human behavior and then apply algorithms and statistical analysis to detect meaningful anomalies from those patterns—anomalies that indicate potential threats.
Social Network Analysis fundamentals:
The field of Social Network Analysis is a dynamic and highly adaptable group of techniques that let us quantify and understand the complex structures and flows of relationships, thoughts, and things between people around the world.
Data visualization Examples (Russian disinformation):
To better understand what is behind the “bots” and “trolls” we have to focus on the methods by which a D&M campaign(s) target, infiltrate shape, and leverage online communities.
Creative headlines are developed, hosted, and spread because of the AD revenue. All advertising contains some sort of falsification. Adverts of yesteryear attempted to sell a physical product - a house or a taco, perhaps — to sell, present-day the product is the message.
Network visualizations (how to look at the data):
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Read of the Week:
Capturing Clicks: How the Chinese Government Uses Clickbait to Compete for Visibility (2020)
Abstract:
The proliferation of social media and digital technologies has made it necessary for governments to expand their focus beyond propaganda content in order to disseminate propaganda effectively. We identify a strategy of using clickbait to increase the visibility of political propaganda. We show that such a strategy is used across China by combining ethnography with a computational analysis of a novel dataset of the titles of 197,303 propaganda posts made by 213 Chinese city-level governments on WeChat. We find that Chinese propagandists face intense pressure to demonstrate their effectiveness on social media because their work is heavily quantified—measured, analyzed, and ranked—with metrics such as views and likes. Propagandists use both clickbait and non-propaganda content (e.g., lifestyle tips) to capture clicks, but rely more heavily on clickbait because it does not decrease space available for political propaganda. Government propagandists use clickbait at a rate commensurate with commercial and celebrity social media accounts. The use of clickbait is associated with more views and likes, as well as the greater reach of government propaganda outlets and messages. These results reveal how the advertising-based business model and affordances of social media influence political propaganda and how government strategies to control information are moving beyond censorship, propaganda, and disinformation. [http://docplayer.net/192399756-Capturing-clicks-how-the-chinese-government-uses-clickbait-to-compete-for-visibility.html]
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Feedback:
Social Media IO Roundup is an effort charged with educating and bringing attention to the murky world of cyber information operations. Highlighting tradecraft, concerns trends, techniques, and raising questions to a sector many don’t see. I’m not all-knowing and want to improve the content, so I need you the readers to interact.
Drop a line:
Email: dominanceinformation@gmail.com Instagram @informationdominance
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Closing:
When it comes to data analytics truth be told the raw data can be complicated and boring. So, we need to be able to display in a digestible format.
Standby for more at a later date.
-Bob aka INFODOM