The Carter Center and the McCain Institute highlight disinformation for hire in a new report; the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence tracks threats to America's elections and grapples with who will tell the American public when disinformation drops on the eve of an election; lessons from the Second World War; a new Russian campaign claiming the CIA is meddling in American elections; and reports of Russian sabotage in Western Europe.

The Carter Center and the McCain Institute highlight disinformation for hire in a new report; the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence tracks threats to America's elections and grapples with who will tell the American public when disinformation drops on the eve of an election; lessons from the Second World War; a new Russian campaign claiming the CIA is meddling in American elections; and reports of Russian sabotage in Western Europe.

From the Pell Center at Salve Regina University and the creators of the Active Measures Newsletter, a weekly dive into the latest trends in political warfare, influence, and information campaigns. 

From the Pell Center at Salve Regina University and the creators of the Active Measures Newsletter, a weekly dive into the latest trends in political warfare, influence, and information campaigns.

A weekly dive into the headlines in the Active Measures Newsletter from the Pell Center at Salve Regina University.

The Active Measures Newsletter Podcast

Capabilities and Intentions

Influence campaigns come in a lot of shapes and sizes.  On the Korean peninsula, the back and forth between Soul and Pyongyang sees the North launching garbage balloons and the South responding with K-Pop.  In Europe--awash in Russian disinformation as voters cast ballots to shape the European Parliament--the methods of influence are both old and novel.  Ultimately, the center in European politics held, this time, but the far right saw substantial gains moving French President Manuel Macron to call for new National Assembly elections in a matter of weeks. Ultimately we're left to ponder whether influence campaigns and disinformation work.

Influence campaigns come in a lot of shapes and sizes.  On the Korean peninsula, the back and forth between Soul and Pyongyang sees the North launching garbage balloons and the South responding with K-Pop.  In Europe--awash in Russian disinformation as voters cast ballots to shape the European Parliament--the methods of influence are both old and novel.  Ultimately, the center in European politics held, this time, but the far right saw substantial gains moving French President Manuel Macron to call for new National Assembly elections in a matter of weeks. Ultimately we're left to ponder whether influence campaigns and disinformation work.

Persuade, Influence, and Change

The leaders of U.S. influence operations met at a conference in Florida recently and concluded the United States is not performing well in the face of Russian and Chinese efforts. Patrick Tucker, the science and technology editor at Defense One, discusses his reporting on that conclusion and the reasons why succeeding in this fight doesn't get the investment it deserves. We also review reporting on a former Florida sheriff's deputy now running a disinformation network with at least 160 fake news sites from Moscow and the latest reporting from OpenAI on state-use of their platform by Russia, China, Iran, and Israel.

The leaders of U.S. influence operations met at a conference in Florida recently and concluded the United States is not performing well in the face of Russian and Chinese efforts. Patrick Tucker, the science and technology editor at Defense One, discusses his reporting on that conclusion and the reasons why succeeding in this fight doesn't get the investment it deserves. We also review reporting on a former Florida sheriff's deputy now running a disinformation network with at least 160 fake news sites from Moscow and the latest reporting from OpenAI on state-use of their platform by Russia, China, Iran, and Israel.

"We're Doing Miserably."

COPY COP--a Russia aligned disinformation network is using AI to generate content at scale with divisive and biased content.  Meanwhile, the French report on  PORTAL KOMBAT, a network of Russian content portals that now span Europe, countries in Africa and Asia, pushing pro-Russian narratives about the war in Ukraine. Simultaneously, Iran is running EMERALD DIVIDE to stoke societal divisions in Israel on everything from LGBTQ rights to the conflict with Hamas.  Closer to home, Spanish-language disinformation is coming through in waves, while disinformation about non-citizens voting in American elections persists. Finally, we take a look at the Swedish Psychological Defense Agency and wonder why we can't have nice things, too.

COPY COP--a Russia aligned disinformation network is using AI to generate content at scale with divisive and biased content.  Meanwhile, the French report on  PORTAL KOMBAT, a network of Russian content portals that now span Europe, countries in Africa and Asia, pushing pro-Russian narratives about the war in Ukraine. Simultaneously, Iran is running EMERALD DIVIDE to stoke societal divisions in Israel on everything from LGBTQ rights to the conflict with Hamas.  Closer to home, Spanish-language disinformation is coming through in waves, while disinformation about non-citizens voting in American elections persists. Finally, we take a look at the Swedish Psychological Defense Agency and wonder why we can't have nice things, too.

Capabilities and Intentions

The Active Measures Newsletter Podcast

In 1 playlist(s)

The Active Measures Newsletter Podcast

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips