Influence campaigns
An influence campaign is a planned and coordinated initiative used by an antagonistic foreign power to influence how people think, feel or act. The objective may be to change the opinion, decisions or behaviour of individuals, groups or communities.
In an influence campaign, antagonistic foreign powers compile different types of influence activities. Malign information influence is an example of such an activity. Other activities, besides communication, can be diplomatic pressure and economic sanctions, or military displays of force put on by a country. The aim is always to influence society in a way that benefits the foreign power.
The campaign concerning children in care in Sweden – example
The campaign concerning children in care is one of the biggest malign information influence campaigns directed at Sweden. The campaign targeted the Swedish Care of Young Persons Special Provisions Act (LVU) – Swedish legislation in place to protect children who suffer harm in their home environment. In the campaign, it was claimed that the Swedish social services were systematically and on improper grounds having children put into compulsory care – especially those with a foreign background. The campaign had a directly negative impact on the Swedish security landscape.
The 2024 European Parliament election – example
In September 2024, the US government accused the Russian communications company Social Design Agency (SDA), which has links with the Kremlin, of trying to sway the US presidential election in November. The US Department of Justice seized dozens of websites linked to SDA and past Russian influence campaigns.
A few weeks later, a network of European media houses revealed, through a major document leak, that the SDA had long sought to sway public opinion in several European countries. The objective was to reduce support for Ukraine, and influence the political agenda and election results in selected countries’ European Parliamentary elections in June 2024.
The leaked documents show that the SDA had spread false and misleading information through fake websites, botnets, memes and manipulated comments fields on social media. The examination also reveals the sheer scale of the campaign – in the first months of 2024 alone, the SDA generated around 34 million comments and published nearly 40,000 videos, memes and other graphic posts. The company had worked based on clear strategies and selected sensitive social issues in different countries to maximise dissemination and influence.
The next step
Malign information influence tactics