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US Department of Defense rejects use of social media for disinformation

US Department of Defense rejects use of social media for disinformation

US Department of Defense rejects use of social media for disinformation

US Department of Defense

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  • The US Department of Defense has initiated a review of its psychological warfare activities.
  • The Washington Post cited a report by Graphika and the Stanford Internet Observatory on covert pro-western influence efforts.
  • US Central Command officers supervise operations in the Middle East, he says.
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An official stated on Tuesday that the US Department of Defense had initiated a review of its psychological warfare activities following the discovery of bogus social media accounts pushing pro-Western disinformation.

Pat Ryder, a spokesman for the Department of Defense, confirmed the review following a story in The Washington Post that social media giants Facebook and Twitter had suspended several bogus accounts, fearing the United States military created them.

Ryder did not confirm or deny that the military was behind the bogus accounts and stated that the evidence was still being reviewed.

He cautioned against concluding that the Defense Department was responsible for the accounts, leaving the possibility of another government entity being involved.

He stated that the evaluation is “an opportunity for us to evaluate the present efforts in this field.”

The Washington Post cited a report by Graphika and the Stanford Internet Observatory on covert pro-Western influence efforts from the previous month.

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According to the article, Twitter and Facebook parent company Meta terminated over 150 accounts from the United States and the United Kingdom in July and August for “inauthentic behavior.”

After studying the accounts, the Graphika-Stanford investigation revealed that a web of interconnected histories on eight social media platforms had been employing “deceptive tactics” to push pro-Western narratives throughout the Middle East and Central Asia.

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According to the research, the accounts resulted from a succession of campaigns spanning five years instead of a single effort.

The accounts “consistently advanced narratives promoting the interests of the United States and its allies while opposing countries including Russia, China, and Iran,” it said.

The Washington Post, citing unnamed government sources, attributed some of the action to the Pentagon and reported that US Central Command officers, who supervise operations in the Middle East, were “under inspection.”

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Ryder said the military’s psychological operations, or “military information support operations,” are structured and legal and are to support activities in the field.

“These are not public affairs operations,” he said.

“It’s an aspect of warfare as old as warfare itself, and we conduct those operations in support of national security priorities,” he told reporters.

He remarked that military deception operations were essential in World War II and were an intrinsic part of the warfighting arsenal.

“There are opportunities in conducting operations against adversaries where you may want to use information in a way that is going to help them think a certain way — not truthful information,” he said.

“What I would highlight is that they must be undertaken in compliance with US law and Defense Department policy, and we have safeguards in place and are committed to observing those safeguards,” he said.

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