In the realm of disinformation and political warfare, few operations stand out as prominently as Operation Cornflakes. This unique campaign, launched during World War II, aimed to exploit the German postal system to disseminate black propaganda. In this special edition of the podcast, Mark Jacobson unravels the intricacies of Operation Cornflakes, examining how it worked, its historical context, and the lessons it offers for understanding modern information warfare.

In the realm of disinformation and political warfare, few operations stand out as prominently as Operation Cornflakes. This unique campaign, launched during World War II, aimed to exploit the German postal system to disseminate black propaganda. In this special edition of the podcast, Mark Jacobson unravels the intricacies of Operation Cornflakes, examining how it worked, its historical context, and the lessons it offers for understanding modern information warfare.

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

In the realm of disinformation and political warfare, few operations stand out as prominently as Operation Cornflakes. This unique campaign, launched during World War II, aimed to exploit the German postal system to disseminate black propaganda. In this special edition of the podcast, Mark Jacobson unravels the intricacies of Operation Cornflakes, examining how it worked, its historical context, and the lessons it offers for understanding modern information warfare. 

Special Edition: Operation Cornflakes

AI deepfakes don’t have to be flawless. They have to look believable enough to make you react. We spoke with CNET reporter Katelyn Chedraoui about where deepfakes are now—and what gives them so much potential as vehicles for disinformation. Her point was simple and unsettling: AI image and video tools have gotten very good, very fast—not “seven fingers” good, photorealistic good. That’s especially unsettling because a bad actor doesn’t need to create the perfect fake. They just need something that makes you angry, scared, or confused long enough to cloud your judgment. That can be a video; a robocall; a text about a polling place changing. Sometimes the most effective deception is also the most mundane. And then there’s the bigger problem: AI isn’t only making fake things harder to spot. It’s also making real things easier to doubt. Co-hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson also discuss the recent U.S. indictment of Russian intelligence agents accused of recruiting for active measures—including ‘wet work’ in the United States, and the threat AI may pose to authoritarian regimes.

AI deepfakes don&rsquo;t have to be flawless. They have to look believable enough to make you react. We spoke with CNET reporter Katelyn Chedraoui about where deepfakes are now&mdash;and what gives them so much potential as vehicles for disinformation. Her point was simple and unsettling: AI image and video tools have gotten very good, very fast&mdash;not &ldquo;seven fingers&rdquo; good, photorealistic good. That&rsquo;s especially unsettling because a bad actor doesn&rsquo;t need to create the perfect fake. They just need something that makes you angry, scared, or confused long enough to cloud your judgment. That can be a video; a robocall; a text about a polling place changing. Sometimes the most effective deception is also the most mundane. And then there&rsquo;s the bigger problem: AI isn&rsquo;t only making fake things harder to spot. It&rsquo;s also making real things easier to doubt. Co-hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson also discuss the recent U.S. indictment of Russian intelligence agents accused of recruiting for active measures&mdash;including &lsquo;wet work&rsquo; in the United States, and the threat AI may pose to authoritarian regimes.

This episode examines how generative AI, deepfakes, synthetic media, and AI-powered propaganda are reshaping elections, political warfare, and public trust. Jim Ludes, Mark Jacobson, and CNET reporter Caitlin Shadrawi discuss how bad actors use AI to create and spread convincing misinformation—and how people can verify what they see, hear, and believe. It works because it distills a complex topic into a clear, urgent takeaway: AI doesn’t just make fake content more believable—it can make real content harder to trust.

Deepfakes and Disinformation with Katelyn Chedraoui

AI chatbots may be quietly reinforcing conspiracy thinking, extremist narratives, and harmful beliefs through private, personalized conversations designed to keep users engaged. Simeon Dukic and Natalie Vela of the Institute for Strategic Dialogue discuss research testing 10 chatbots across anti-Semitism, misogyny, and anti-migrant narratives, revealing how some systems become increasingly agreeable as conversations continue—sometimes shifting from resistance to validation in just a few turns. They explore the risks of sycophancy, hyper-personalization, and companion-style AI; why conspiracy reinforcement may be more common than direct incitement to violence; which models performed best at interrupting escalation; and why current safety frameworks and regulations fail to account for harms that are iterative, cumulative, and conversational. Hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson also reflect on the 25th anniversary of 9/11.

AI chatbots may be quietly reinforcing conspiracy thinking, extremist narratives, and harmful beliefs through private, personalized conversations designed to keep users engaged. Simeon Dukic and Natalie Vela of the Institute for Strategic Dialogue discuss research testing 10 chatbots across anti-Semitism, misogyny, and anti-migrant narratives, revealing how some systems become increasingly agreeable as conversations continue&mdash;sometimes shifting from resistance to validation in just a few turns. They explore the risks of sycophancy, hyper-personalization, and companion-style AI; why conspiracy reinforcement may be more common than direct incitement to violence; which models performed best at interrupting escalation; and why current safety frameworks and regulations fail to account for harms that are iterative, cumulative, and conversational. Hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson also reflect on the 25th anniversary of 9/11.

AI and Radicalization in Closed Loops with Simeon Dukić and Natalie Vela

Authoritarian regimes from Moscow to Beijing fear losing control of their own information eco-systems—more than military exercises, more than economic sanctions, and more than diplomatic isolation.  That’s the conclusion from new research by Scott Fisher and Graig Klein who see in the data evidence of a tremendous opportunity for Western democracies to hold their authoritarian rivals at risk—either by threatening to break the regime’s monopoly on information, demonstrating the capability to do so, or actually doing it.  Hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson also discuss the recent surge in Russian hybrid warfare in Europe and the latest analysis of the migrant crisis at Ceuta, Spain.

Authoritarian regimes from Moscow to Beijing fear losing control of their own information eco-systems&mdash;more than military exercises, more than economic sanctions, and more than diplomatic isolation.&nbsp; That&rsquo;s the conclusion from new research by Scott Fisher and Graig Klein who see in the data evidence of a tremendous opportunity for Western democracies to hold their authoritarian rivals at risk&mdash;either by threatening to break the regime&rsquo;s monopoly on information, demonstrating the capability to do so, or actually doing it.&nbsp; Hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson also discuss the recent surge in Russian hybrid warfare in Europe and the latest analysis of the migrant crisis at Ceuta, Spain.

Authoritarian regimes from Moscow to Beijing fear losing control of their own information eco-systems—more than military exercises, more than economic sanctions, and more than diplomatic isolation.  That’s the conclusion from new research by Scott Fisher and Graig Klein who see in the data evidence of a tremendous opportunity for Western democracies to hold their authoritarian rivals at risk—either by threatening to break the regime’s monopoly on information, demonstrating the capability to do so, or actually doing it.  Hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson also discuss the recent surge in Russian hybrid warfare in Europe and the latest analysis of the migrant crisis at Ceuta, Spain.

Special Edition: Operation Cornflakes

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