OPINION: China is using the Internet to disrupt American and Western politics. What should I look out for?

Many governments are engaging in disinformation campaigns. For example, the Russian government has used images of celebrities to draw attention to anti-Ukrainian propaganda. meta platform META,
+1.89%,
Facebook, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, warned on November 30 that China was stepping up its disinformation operations.

Disinformation is not new and information warfare has been waged in many countries, including the United States. But the Internet gives disinformation campaigns unprecedented scope. Foreign governments, internet trolls, domestic and international extremists, opportunistic profiteers, and even paid disinformation organizations use the Internet to spread questionable content. Times of civil unrest, natural disasters, health crises and wars spark anxiety and information hunts that disinformation agents leverage. Meta discovered and blocked China’s sophisticated disinformation campaign.

‘Jokes’, ‘secrets’ and manipulation

While it’s certainly worth watching for warning signs of misinformation and dangerous speech, there are additional tactics used by disinformation agents.

‘Hahaganda’ is a tactic used by disinformation agents to use memes, political comedy in state media, and speeches to downplay serious issues, attack others, minimize or dehumanize violence, and deflect blame.

This approach provides easy defense. When challenged, a disinformation agent might say, “Can’t you take a joke?” Often accused of being too politically correct.

Rumor milling is a tactic in which disinformation agents claim exclusive access to secrets they claim are being intentionally concealed. They will tell you that you will “only hear it here” and imply that others are reluctant to share the alleged truth. For example, “The media won’t report this,” or “The government doesn’t want you to know,” and “I shouldn’t tell you this….”

However, they do not insist that information be kept secret, but instead encourage sharing. For example, “Make this go viral” or “Most people won’t have the courage to share this.” It is important to ask how the author or presenter came to know such “secret” information and what prompted them to share it.

Oftentimes, disinformation lacks actual evidence, so disinformation agents find people or make things up to back up their claims. This impersonation can take many forms. Disinformation agents use anecdotes, especially sympathetic stories from vulnerable groups such as women and children, as evidence.

Likewise, they may disseminate the views of “concerned citizens.” These lay experts present their social identity as giving them authority to speak out on certain issues. “As a mother… ”, “As a veteran… ”, “As a police officer… .” Conversion communicators, that is, people who have supposedly changed from a ‘wrong’ position to a ‘right’ position, can be particularly persuasive, such as a woman who has had an abortion but regrets it. These people often don’t exist, or are coerced or paid to do so.

If there are not enough ordinary people, fake experts may be used. Some have been manipulated, for example you can use Botometer to check the X (formerly Twitter) account to watch out for “fake user” behavior. But fake experts can come in many forms.

• A fake expert is someone who uses a title but has no real relevant expertise.

• A pseudoexpert is a person who claims relevant expertise but has no actual training.

• Junk Guru is sold out. They may have once had expertise, but now they say anything is profitable. These people can often be seen supporting other dubious claims, for example that smoking doesn’t cause cancer, or working for organizations that regularly produce questionable “scholarships.”

• Echo punditry is when disinformation sources quote each other to provide credence to their claims. China and Russia routinely quote each other’s newspapers.

• Theft experts are people who exist but are not actually contacted and whose research is misinterpreted. Likewise, disinformation operatives steal credibility from known news sources through things like typosquatting, the practice of setting up domain names that are very similar to those of legitimate organizations.

You can check to see if it has been verified by other reliable sources, whether anecdotal or scientific. Google the name. Check the state of expertise, validity of sources, and interpretation of studies. Remember that no one story or interpretation is necessarily representative.

plot to sow distrust

Conspiracy theories involve some malevolent force (e.g. the ‘deep state’) engaging in covert actions for the purpose of harming society. The fact that a particular conspiracy, such as MK-Ultra or Watergate, has been confirmed is often presented as evidence for the validity of a new, baseless conspiracy.

Nonetheless, disinformation agents find that creating conspiracies is an effective means of reminding people of their past reasons for distrusting governments, scientists, or other trustworthy sources.

But extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Remember, there was evidence for the conspiracy that was ultimately revealed. They come primarily from sources such as investigative journalists, scientists, and government investigators. Be especially wary of conspiracies to defame knowledge-producing institutions, such as universities, research institutes, government agencies, or media outlets, by claiming they are conducting a cover-up.

Basic tips for resisting disinformation and misinformation include thinking twice before sharing social media posts that trigger emotional reactions such as anger and fear, and checking the source of posts that make unusual or extraordinary claims.

Good and bad

Disinformation often serves the dual purpose of making the author look good and the other person look bad. Disinformation takes this further by portraying the issue as a battle between good and evil and using accusations of evil to legitimize violence. Russia especially likes to accuse others of being secret Nazis, pedophiles and Satanists. Meanwhile, they often depict soldiers as helping children and the elderly.

Watch out for accusations of atrocities such as genocide, especially under attention-grabbing “breaking news” headlines. There is a lot of criticism. Check out the facts and how we got them.

Are you with us or against us?

False dichotomous statements lead readers to believe they have one of two mutually exclusive options. Is it good or bad, right or wrong, red pill or blue pill? You can either accept their reality or be a fool or a “flock.”

There are always more options than presented, and issues are rarely black and white. This is just one of the tactics used by disinformation operatives to silence dissent by labeling it as a bad choice.

turn the table

Whataboutism is a classic Russian disinformation technique used to divert attention from one’s own misdeeds by claiming that others are at fault. These claims about someone else’s behavior may or may not be true, but they are nonetheless irrelevant to the issue at hand. The potential past wrongdoings of one group do not mean that the current wrongdoings of another group should be ignored.

Disinformation agents often view their own group as the victimized party. They engage in disinformation simply because their “enemies” engage in disinformation about them. They only attack to defend themselves. Their reaction was appropriate, but others’ reactions were overreactions. This type of competitive harm is especially prevalent when groups are entangled in long-running conflicts.

In all of these cases, the purveyors of disinformation know they are biasing, misleading, trolling, or outright manipulating. If you don’t believe them, they at least want to make you question what you can believe.

Before you part with your money, you often take a closer look at what you’re buying rather than taking the ad at face value. This should also apply to the information you purchase.

H. Colleen Sinclair is an Associate Research Professor of Social Psychology at Louisiana State University.

Also read: Voting experts warn of ‘serious threat’ in 2024 from election equipment software breaches.