The Worldwide War on Truth - Operation InfeKtion (3) NY Times

Summary

This video script discusses the pervasive issue of disinformation and its impact on society. It highlights the historical context of disinformation campaigns, dating back to the Cold War era, and how they've evolved with technology. The script emphasizes the importance of fighting back against these campaigns through fact-checking, media literacy, and critical thinking. It also calls for greater responsibility from social media platforms and the need for government intervention to combat the spread of lies and protect democracy.

Takeaways

• 😐 Disinformation campaigns have been a persistent issue since the Cold War era, with the US government historically underestimating their impact.
• 🗣️ The concept of 'truth squads' was introduced during the Reagan administration to combat disinformation, emphasizing the importance of truth and exposing falsehoods.
• 📉 Despite efforts to debunk myths like the AIDS conspiracy, such disinformation persists, indicating the difficulty in eradicating false narratives once they take root.
• 🌐 The spread of lies is a global issue, with various countries developing their own strategies to combat disinformation, including media literacy and active debunking.
• 📺 Some countries have integrated disinformation awareness into their media, with shows dedicated to exposing and debunking false stories.
• 🤔 The effectiveness of combating disinformation is complex and challenging, often likened to a 'whack-a-mole' game where lies continue to resurface.
• 📊 Repetition is a key factor in the spread of disinformation, as lies can become perceived as truth through constant repetition.
• 💡 Tech companies like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have a significant role in disseminating information and are increasingly being called upon to take responsibility for combating disinformation.
• 🏛️ There is a call for increased government regulation and oversight of social media platforms to ensure they are not complicit in spreading disinformation.
• 🌐 Democracies are particularly vulnerable to disinformation due to their openness and diversity, which can be exploited to sow confusion and discord.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the video script?

The main theme of the video script is the fight against disinformation and propaganda, particularly highlighting the role of social media and the responsibility of tech companies in combating it.

What historical reference is made regarding the US government's initial response to disinformation?

The script references that for the first 30 years of Russia's disinformation campaigns starting in the 1950s, the US government did not take it seriously and there was a lack of awareness about disinformation.

How did Ronald Reagan's administration approach disinformation?

Ronald Reagan's administration believed in being bold and putting the truth front and center. They created the Active Measures Working Group and government truth squads to expose disinformation.

What was one of the significant disinformation campaigns mentioned in the script?

One of the significant disinformation campaigns mentioned was the AIDS myth that claimed AIDS was created by the US government.

Why is fighting disinformation compared to a game of whack-a-mole?

Fighting disinformation is compared to a game of whack-a-mole because no matter what actions are taken, the lies keep resurfacing, making it a never-ending and challenging task.

What is the role of social media platforms in the spread of disinformation according to the script?

The script suggests that social media platforms, due to their business models, inadvertently promote the spread of disinformation because emotional and hyper-partisan stories drive engagement.

What steps could social media platforms take to combat disinformation?

Social media platforms could improve transparency about who is paying for posts, fight anonymity, provide nutritional labels on sources, and punish violators more seriously.

What is the role of regulation in combating disinformation as per the script?

The script implies that regulation is necessary to force social media platforms to change their practices and take more responsibility for the spread of disinformation.

How does the script characterize the current US government's response to disinformation?

The script characterizes the current US government's response as inadequate and slow, suggesting that there is a lack of urgency and effective action to combat disinformation.

What does the script suggest about the future of disinformation?

The script suggests that the problem of disinformation will get worse before it gets better, and that it requires a sustained effort to expose and combat it.

How does the script describe the impact of disinformation on democracies?

The script describes disinformation as polluting the waters of democracy by confusing people and causing them to debate facts instead of discovering solutions, which weakens the democratic process.

Outlines

00:00

📢 The Fight Against Disinformation

The paragraph discusses the historical context and current state of disinformation campaigns, with a focus on the US government's response. It highlights the lack of awareness and action during the Cold War era, the role of Ronald Reagan in creating the Active Measures Working Group, and the ongoing challenge of combating disinformation. The paragraph also touches on the global nature of the problem, mentioning disinformation efforts from Russia, Myanmar, and Pakistan, and the personal experience of the filmmaker being targeted by such campaigns.

05:01

🌐 Learning From Eastern Europe

This section of the script explores how countries like Latvia, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, and Estonia have been proactive in combating disinformation through various media and volunteer efforts. It contrasts this with the United States' more recent and reactive approach to disinformation, emphasizing the need for stronger media literacy, citizen engagement, and corporate responsibility from social media platforms. The paragraph also discusses the role of tech companies in potentially exacerbating the problem due to their business models and calls for regulation.

10:01

🏛️ Government Response and Leadership

The paragraph addresses the varying levels of government response to disinformation, from the Obama administration's focus on ISIS to the Trump administration's approach. It criticizes the lack of urgency and action from the US government, particularly in allocating funds and developing strategies to counter disinformation. The paragraph also discusses the internal threat of disinformation coming from the White House itself, with President Trump's role in spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories being highlighted.

15:03

🌍 Democracy and the Challenge of Disinformation

This final paragraph delves into the impact of disinformation on democracy, emphasizing the need for a shared set of facts for effective debate and policy-making. It discusses the vulnerabilities of open societies and the advantage that authoritarian regimes have in spreading disinformation. The paragraph concludes with a call to action, stating that the fight against disinformation is a long-term struggle that requires continuous effort and exposure of false narratives.

Keywords

💡Disinformation

Disinformation refers to false information that is intended to mislead by altering reality. In the video, it is a central theme, illustrating how various governments and entities have historically used disinformation to manipulate public opinion. The script mentions how the US government was slow to recognize disinformation campaigns from Russia during the Cold War, and how such tactics continue today, affecting democracies worldwide.

💡Active Measures

Active measures are actions taken to influence or control public opinion, often through disinformation. The term is used in the context of Reagan's administration, where he established an 'Active Measures Working Group' to counter disinformation. The video highlights the importance of active measures in shaping public perception and how they have been used to subvert democratic processes.

💡Truth Squads

Truth squads are groups dedicated to debunking disinformation and promoting accurate information. The script references Kathleen Bailey leading government truth squads from 1985 to 87. These squads are part of the broader effort to combat disinformation by exposing falsehoods and promoting transparency.

💡AIDS Myth

The AIDS myth mentioned in the script refers to the false narrative that the AIDS virus was created by the US government as a form of biological warfare. This myth is an example of disinformation that has persisted despite efforts to debunk it, illustrating the resilience of false information in the public consciousness.

💡Media Literacy

Media literacy is the ability to critically evaluate and create media in various forms. The video emphasizes the importance of media literacy in combating disinformation by enabling individuals to discern credible sources and recognize manipulative tactics. It is suggested as a tool for creating a culture of critical thinking.

💡Social Media Platforms

Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are highlighted as both conduits for disinformation and potential tools for combating it. The video discusses the responsibility of these platforms in either spreading or mitigating disinformation and the challenges they face in balancing their business models with the need for ethical information dissemination.

💡Regulation

Regulation refers to the establishment of rules or limitations by a higher authority, such as the government. In the context of the video, regulation is proposed as a solution to compel social media platforms to take more responsibility for the content they disseminate and to combat disinformation more effectively.

💡Digital National Guard

The digital national guard is a metaphor for a group of volunteers who actively monitor and counter disinformation online. The video mentions Estonia's approach to fighting disinformation, where thousands of volunteers act as a digital guard to protect against misinformation campaigns.

💡Conspiracy Theories

Conspiracy theories are discussed in the video as a form of disinformation that often gains traction despite a lack of evidence. Examples from the script include the false claims about the 9/11 hijackers and voter fraud during elections. These theories are used to sow doubt and confusion, undermining trust in institutions.

💡Fact-Checking

Fact-checking is the process of verifying the accuracy of information. The video suggests that fact-checking is a crucial part of fighting disinformation. It involves rigorously examining claims to determine their truthfulness and is presented as a necessary tool for maintaining the integrity of information in the public sphere.

💡Information Warfare

Information warfare is the use of propaganda and disinformation to undermine an adversary. The video discusses how the US government has been slow to respond to information warfare, with the Obama administration focusing more on ISIS than on state actors like Russia. This term encapsulates the broader struggle for control over public perception and the narrative.

Highlights

The importance of fighting back against disinformation campaigns.

The difference between bots and trolls in spreading disinformation.

Twitter's role in combating disinformation compared to other platforms.

The historical lack of awareness of disinformation in the US government.

Ronald Reagan's approach to confronting disinformation in the 1980s.

The creation of the Active Measures Working Group under Reagan.

The difficulty in debunking disinformation, exemplified by the AIDS myth.

The persistence of disinformation in popular culture and media.

The global nature of disinformation and its impact on public opinion.

The effectiveness of exposing disinformation as a defense mechanism.

The role of repetition in the spread of disinformation.

The comparison of disinformation strategies across different countries.

The example of Latvia's primetime show dedicated to debunking disinformation.

The need for stronger media literacy and critical thinking in the face of disinformation.

The responsibility of social media platforms in combating disinformation.

The potential solutions for social media platforms to address disinformation.

The challenge of regulating social media platforms to prevent disinformation.

The impact of disinformation on the functioning of democracies.

The role of strong leadership in fighting disinformation.

The current state of disinformation within the White House.

The long-term challenge of combating disinformation and the need for persistent efforts.

Transcripts

[Music]

it's time to fight back against this

information but these are the people

leading the charge can you please

explain to us the difference between a

bot and a troll does Twitter the same as

what you do you can look at a lot of

gray hair and realize that my technology

capabilities are very shallow not very

encouraging is it but this isn't the

first time the US government's been

asleep at the wheel on this how can we

compete with this English propaganda you

know now that Russia's been attacking

the u.s. like this since the fifties but

did you know that for the first 30 years

of that no one in the US government took

it seriously there was not a very high

awareness of disinformation or active

measures so there was a tendency to want

to keep the waters smooth they use all

the means of communication the thinking

when if you respond to a fake story he

dignify it I don't think we grasped it

intellectually then in 1980 a new cowboy

rode into town Ronald Reagan his point

of view was we ought to be bold we ought

to tell the truth truth ought to be put

front and center and that if somebody

were speaking the opposite we ought to

expose it presidents are very important

to the danger of espionage has added

active measures designed to subvert and

deceive to dis inform the public opinion

upon which our democracies are built

Reagan created the active measures

working group you know that government

truth squads which Kathleen Bailey led

from 1985 to 87 I came at the problem

believing that I could grab the tiger by

the tail and whirl it over my head I was

going to win they brought down the AIDS

myth operation infection one of the

greatest disinformation campaigns

ever created proof that the best defense

against this information is exposing it

well actually it's not that simple

decades later surveys have found that

millions of Americans still believe aids

was cooked up by the US government the

line lives on in our music on TV my

parents believed the government created

HIV in a lab and the CIA spreaded in the

prisons to kill blacks and gays in

comics on YouTube even in churches

vinash pathogens to hit selected groups

of humans fighting disinformation it's

like a nightmarish game of whack-a-mole

no matter what you do the lies just keep

which makes us wonder do we really stand

a chance against this information or is

this a virus that can never be cured

[Music]

Mark Twain once said a lie is halfway

around the world before the truth is

even thought it's boots on except even

that's a lie that quotes been attributed

to loads of people but whoever said it

was right we know now empirically that

lies do have an unfair advantage over

the truth spreading further and faster

gaining traction every time they're

repeated repetition is part of the game

and the more it's a bad story is

repeated repeated repeated repeated the

more real it becomes to everyone but

Twain's around the world part is also

true this is a global problem in a ran

the government's deploying their own

version of the Soviet playbook calling

their operation the FAQ which is Farsi

for discord

Myanmar's been brewing up endless

conspiracy theories to justify ethnic

cleansing and in Pakistan the

establishment sees CIA plots everywhere

that last one even instead one of our

own journalists here at the New York

Times an experience that was so

upsetting to him led him to make the

film you're watching right now isn't

that right Adam that's right I was

living in Pakistan al-qaeda accused me

of being part of a CIA anti Islam plot

see conspiracy theories are kind of like

a national sport over there and even

today I still get blasted on Twitter for

being either a CIA spy or a dead

terrorist wait a dead terrorist one of

the country's most popular TV talk show

hosts accused me of being one of the

attackers in a school massacre that

murdered dozens of children Here I am

dead in the Pakistani press but this

stuff is kind of normal over there I

mean it happens all the time what I

never imagined is that we'd be seeing

this kind of toxic disinformation here

at home in the States so is there

anything we can do I think so

I also used to live in Eastern Europe

Estonia Ukraine they lag behind us in

many things but when it comes to

fighting disinformation there's so much

we can learn from them for instance if

you turn on the TV in Latvia on a Sunday

night you'll see this a primetime show

all about Russian lies in the same slot

where we'd be watching American Idol

folks in Riga are tuning in to watch the

latest disinformation be systematically

described debunked and destroyed and

it's not just Latvia Ukraine has a

bilingual stop fake news show

broadcasted by dozens of TV stations

this information never stops and neither

do we welcome to stop fake the Czech

government monitors this information as

a form of terrorism Lithuania has

thousands of volunteers cyber warriors

they call them elves who relentlessly

troll the Russian trolls and in Estonia

there's a kind of digital national guard

thousands of volunteers who among other

things fight disinformation the

countries that have been exposed to this

the longest are the best of deal with it

they see things we don't see they smell

things we don't smell meanwhile back

here we're just learning the hard way

what happens when we don't fight back

the pizza gate conspiracy no journalist

was going to actively debunk that

because they didn't think anybody truly

believed that we now know that they did

and actually it seems that we should

have done more coverage during the

election that there was a rumor

circulating in any let's debunk it so

this is the prescription write

fact-checking

media literacy engage citizens rallying

around good journalism to create a

culture of critical thinking who weaken

media literacy is great and all but we

need something way stronger and for that

we've got to talk about the

responsibility of this guy

Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube they

were designed primarily by a group of

quite young people mostly men in on the

west coast of the US in Silicon Valley I

think there's a lot of people who went

into the tech industry was they're very

very good at tech not because they were

good at civics or political science and

they really believed that they were

building technology that would connect

the world I would actually be a positive

force in society

well not naivety eventually morphed into

flat-out denial you solemnly swear to

tell the truth but that forms have spent

years shamefully ignoring information

warfare the ads in post we are here

today to discuss a number of accounts we

could link to Russia relatively limited

comparatively small we're a very small

fraction of the overall content on

Facebook there's still a level of

astonishing kind of political and

cultural electricity where they think

connecting people is good so what

exactly are they supposed to be doing

well there's no silver bullet but there

are a ton of ideas for things they could

be doing from improving transparency

about who's paying for posts to fighting

anonymity is there a real person behind

this account is there a real person

behind this platform to helping us know

whether we can trust what we're reading

a nutritional label on sources in your

Google search findings and getting

serious about punishing violators we

didn't take a broad enough view of our

responsibility and that was a big

mistake and it was my mistake and I'm

sorry now companies like Facebook have

recently been taking some baby steps

along these lines but don't get your

hopes up social media platforms are

dependent on the emotional

hyper-partisan stories that make great

disinformation the bottom line their

business models are riddled with

perverse incentives if I'm Twitter and I

have shareholders to keep happy and I

have to go back to my shareholders and

tell them how many active monthly users

I have and the truth is that 22% of them

are not human I don't actually want to

tell my shareholders that I want to give

them a lovely big number that means that

we still have value and that we still

make money

and that's the problem asking just isn't

enough we've got to force the platform

to change and that means regulation

that's right it's time for Uncle Sam to

get in the game the problem is Uncle Sam

knows how to mobilize when we get

attacked like this but when the warfare

is digital well you know there are days

when I wonder if the Facebook friends is

a little misstated that doesn't seem

like I have those every single day how

many data categories do you store does

facebook store senator can you clarify

what you mean by date these are the

people who are supposed to be protecting

you from information warfare do you

store any senator I'm not actually sure

what that is referring to yeah so I've

testified five times to the Senate

either about terrorism or Russian acting

measures there is a very diverse level

of understanding of social media how

people say oh yeah because my 13 year

old son you should see how he uses it

now my son Charlie who's 13 is dedicated

to Instagram so I feel very fortunate

that I have not had to go to the house

to testify I think you'd be a giant

waste of time to dis inform the public

opinion upon which our democracies are

built history tells us that the fight

against this information starts with

strong leadership and I've got to tell

you we've been let down on this for a

long time now I'm not talking about him

just yet

I'm talking about him it was really hard

to get the above administration to take

Russia seriously as an issue we could

have looked at sanctions earlier we

could have talked about measured cyber

of counter attacks or even diplomatic

negotiations but that didn't really

happen the Obama administration kind of

got played into a box by recognizing a

too late

Obama actually signed an executive order

to counter foreign disinformation but he

was so obsessed with the threat from

Isis its mandate only covered terror

groups state actors like Russia were

free to carry on unimpeded

to his credit Trump actually reverse

this and some people in his

administration are talking tough Russia

is known for its disinformation

campaigns but the higher up you go let's

just say the less enthusiasm there is

the point is if it's their intention to

interfere they're going to find ways to

do that we can take steps we can take

but this is something that once they

decide they're going to do it is very

difficult to preemptive so what has been

done well Congress put aside 120 million

dollars to fund our defense against this

information the Trump administration sat

on it silently for 18 months and when

they did release it they gave just a

third of it

not much of a counter strike is it I

mean where's the urgency here these

Russian attacks were first plotted way

back in early 2014 and were only now

coming to grips with them we are still

playing catch-up from a long way behind

we are looking in the rearview mirror

getting less bad at working out what

Russia just did to us we're still not

looking through the windshield find out

what's happening right now and what's

gonna be happening next this is one of

the great unsolved policy questions of

our time a functioning government would

at least come together to publish full

detailed reports of all these attacks

[Music]

but the problem isn't just our

lackluster government it's actually much

scarier than that because now the threat

is coming from inside the White House

it's finally time to meet president

disinformation Donald Trump is a one-man

wrecking crew for the truth and he knows

all the moves first there's Trump the

denier and when it comes through this

information he even denies we're being

attacked and if it is Russia which is

probably not nobody knows who it is

nevermind what his own officials say a

manipulation outright lies literally up

their game to the point where it's

having a significant impact

then there's Trump the useful ideas this

is a man who's never met a conspiracy

theory he wouldn't tweet why doesn't he

show his birth certificate you look at

what's happening last night in Sweden

Sweden the same person votes many times

you probably heard about that they

always like to say oh that's a

conspiracy if they're not a conspiracy

theory folks we also know he shared

stories originally planted by the

Kremlin I mean not even the KGB could

have dreamt up a useful idea as

prominent and powerful as Trump and his

administration and then there's Trump

the disinformation natural he doesn't

just regurgitate this stuff he invents

his I there was the biggest electoral

college win since Ronald Reagan there's

a lot of wiretapping being talked about

we've signed more bills and I'm talking

about through the legislature than any

president ice we have become an energy

exporter for the first time ever just

recently it's good but this is somehow

worse than the Cold War thank Ben it was

just us versus them but now it's us

versus them and us versus us

here's the thing about democracies they

can't function unless we all agree on a

basic set of facts we can't debate

anything health care immigration gun

control unless we're aligned left and

right about what is actually true this

information pollutes those waters

confusing us so we end up debating facts

instead of discovering solutions and as

we spiral downwards together our

adversary's applauded from behind the

curtain and here's the kicker the things

that make democracy good living in an

open society with a free press and

political diversity those are the things

weirdly that make us vulnerable any

country with an authoritarian leader and

limited freedom of speech they're the

ones with the advantage right now which

kind of raises the question that maybe

only history can answer can the good

guys ever win

you absolutely never win never this

problem is gonna get a lot worse before

it gets any better the next few years

are gonna be worse than the last few

years and they will continue using it

regardless of what we say in the

discussion regardless of the outcome of

the discussion and investigation but we

will not always be losers in this game

there will be victories here and there

it's only when we quit the game quit

trying to expose them that we lose as

long as we can expose them they're

losing it's like an exhausting

never-ending game of whack-a-mole but

we've got no choice but to play we've

got to fight this information as best we

can whenever and wherever it raise its

ugly head we're in this for the long

haul whether we like it or not this was

the largest audience to ever witness an

inauguration morning the president

strongly feels that there was a large

amount of voter fraud the 9/11 hijackers

are alive and well people who are

behaving like actors the murder rate in

our country is the highest has been in

47 years you had the NATO base of turkey

being under attack by terrorists this is

the greatest overreach and the greatest

abuse of power this video that you link

to appears to be a hoax all we did was

put out what he had on his Internet