Malign information influence from antagonistic foreign powers
Malign information influence is a growing security threat whereby antagonistic foreign powers or other foreign actors exploit society’s vulnerabilities to achieve their goals without having to resort to arms. Instead, means are used such as disinformation, misleading information and propaganda to harm Sweden.
Malign information influence is when antagonistic foreign powers or other external threat actors attempt to influence what happens in another country to benefit their own interests. The goal may be to create discord and mistrust between inhabitants, sway people’s opinions or even influence elections and democracy. It is a matter of communication that can be harmful to society.
There are three key indicators that will help you recognise cases of malign information influence. Is the information misleading, intentional, disturbing?
Mini talk: What is malign information influence?
In this film, we explain what defines malign information influence, how it attacks vulnerabilities and threatens free formation of opinion.
YouTube collects personal information and tracks your viewing behavior.
We only load the video if you allow it.
What are antagonistic foreign powers?
What do we mean when we speak of antagonistic foreign powers? Well, it could be a hostile state or an external threat actor that is ideologically motivated, such as groups linked to terrorism. But, it could also be individuals or groups in society who are paid by antagonistic foreign powers to do their bidding.
Formation of opinion in democratic societies
Have you ever wondered how your opinions are formed? How and what we think can often be seen as a rational process, whereby we start with the facts and think things through carefully before drawing conclusions. Let us give an example of the opinion formation process.
New information
New information reaches us through an event, a scientific discovery, a revelation by the media or a political decision.
Experts, officials and sources
Witnesses, researchers, officials and other individuals with credibility in a certain field interpret or explain the information.
Media and culture
The media picks up the descriptions and disseminates them through its channels.
The general public
The information reaches different groups in society, both online and offline.
The individual
The information reaches you as an individual through the social constellations you are part of and the channels you engage in.
This process is based on a few simple principles. First, it is dependent on the event or information being accurate and fact-based. It also assumes that the claim is verified by credible sources in the form of real people whose reputation will be undermined if they speak untruths. This requires the media picking up on the story to be balanced in their coverage, that they double-check facts and sources and that they strive to serve public interest. We also expect that the discussions in various social groups take account of different voices and opinions and that there is a constructive debate before any conclusions are drawn.
What type of communication is considered to be malign information influence?
Using information to influence people is nothing new. In advertising or opinion-leading journalism, information is used to influence which product you buy in the store or which politician you will vote for in an election. Such communication is a natural part of a democratic society.
As citizens, we expect this type of communication to follow certain rules, such as being transparent, based on accurate information and presented in a way that enables making well-balanced decisions. Sometimes, however, information can be used by foreign powers in a misleading way that does not follow these rules.
It is no coincidence that tactics used in malign information influence often overlap with those used in journalism, public diplomacy, lobbying and public relations. Mimicking these methods is a way of concealing malign information influence and making it appear as reliable information.
There are three key indicators that will help you recognise cases of malign information influence. Is the information misleading, intentional, disturbing?
Misleading
Reliable communication is open and transparent, and its content is credible and verifiable. Malign information influence is deliberately misleading.
Intentional
Reliable communication shall contribute to and strengthen constructive debate, even if the content or arguments might be controversial in themselves. Malign information influence, on the other hand, aims to weaken or sabotage the rules and systems that make an open and democratic society work.
Disturbing
Reliable communication is a natural part of our society that strengthens our democracy, even though it can sometimes create friction. Malign information influence disturbs and weakens the functioning of society and our democratic discourse.
How are society’s vulnerabilities exploited in information influence?
The opinion formation process is vulnerable. From the time new information is created until the time it reaches you, it can be subjected to malign information influence at any point along the way.
Malign information influence exploits situations in which opinion formation diverges from the process described above. Through opportunistic, creative and technologically advanced methods, foreign powers can direct their influence tactics at the vulnerabilities of the process with a view to disrupting the information flow. They find vulnerabilities in the opinion formation process, in how critical information is conveyed through the media landscape, and based on how our brains process information.
Facts can be falsified or manipulated. Fake experts can be called in and witnesses can be bribed or threatened. News services can be run as one-sided propaganda channels and the online public discourse can be conducted between automated bots that create a phantom impression of a lively public debate. When these activities are conducted intentionally, sometimes in the form of coordinated campaigns aimed at undermining democratic processes, we cannot always rely on a self-sanitising system.
The next step
What does malign information influence seek to achieve?