Grey Zone Conflicts in Cyber Domain

Author(s):  
Muhammed Can

In recent years, controversial concepts like post-truth, truth decay, political technology, and blurred nature of reality have become more complex around the world. Perhaps, a most important manifestation of these concepts could be discerned in grey zone conflicts. Confrontations in the grey zone are regarded neither peace nor war by the major powers. Russia, China, and Iran constantly use grey zone tools, notably disinformation campaigns, influence operations in social media through troll farms, information warfare, and cyber-attacks to sustain the balance of power/threat with Western countries. What makes these conflicts very significant is that they are cheaper and less risky for aggressor states given the disastrous consequences of the total wars. Furthermore, these malicious activities have unique impacts on political realities thanks to the common usage of social media and cyberspace. Thereby, this article argues the cyber frontier of grey zone conflicts and its possible effects to reality through the concept/analogy of hyperobjectivity and nonlocality.

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 60-70
Author(s):  
Demush Bajrami ◽  
Arburim Iseni ◽  
Anesa Topko

Subversion! Is it the symbol of invisibility, or the symbol of the secret power? What does it represent, the ability to carry the messages secretly, or the power to change the world? What are the ideas or objects that subversion challenges? The authority, people, tradition, institution, or the whole of humanity. Can it be considered as a way to brainwash or as a means to manipulate the thoughts and opinions of people? Is the power used by people to hide their feelings from others, be subversive? Is it the point where the change and progress meet? There are a lot of numerous and different questions that can be born from just a simple word subversion. At first glance, we think it is something simple, but its true meaning has power and many methods of expression. The whole idea and aim of subversion are to overthrow the existing state or situation and bring a functioning or desired change. It also supports the idea of staying behind and moving by one's own beliefs and choices. One of the common ways that we are exposed to subversive messages is through advertisements for different products, and the messages they carry on. Because of them, our subconscious mind is made to believe and desire things that we do not truly need or want. In the age of information technology and social media, subversive messages are carried much easier and shaped based on the characteristics of target audiences. Nowadays, advertisement and political campaigns directly respond to the individual requirements of target audiences, making their messages much more acceptable and influential.


2020 ◽  
pp. 32-50
Author(s):  
Daniel Kreiss ◽  
Kirsten Adams ◽  
Jenni Ciesielski ◽  
Haley Fernandez ◽  
Kate Frauenfelder ◽  
...  

This chapter discusses how political technology grew into the field it is today. Political technology lies at the intersection of two male-dominated fields, and it also has a number of unique features for politics. The ever-shifting nature of technology requires campaigns and political parties to garner significant amounts of knowledge and expertise from the technology and commercial sectors. This means fluid careers as staffers move into and out of commercial, technology, and political jobs, seeding campaigns with new skills, knowledge, and ways of seeing the world. There are also rapid and continual changes in the technologies that are at the center of how contemporary politicians connect with the public, from social media platforms to political databases. For political tech staffers, this means continual learning and adapting to changes in how the electorate receives political information and communicates about politics. And it means many new opportunities for entrepreneurial ventures to bring talent, tools, and practices down-ballot and across election cycles.


Author(s):  
Asma Rashid ◽  
Anum Yar Khan ◽  
Syed Wasif Azim

The world has shifted to a digital landscape in the recent decade with both its perks and underlying threats. Russia, throughout history has experimented with its information along with cyber channels and have been able to generate fruitful results that are manifested in the contemporary era. Russian expertise towards merging cyber domain into its military capabilities is praiseworthy to the point that its Western adversaries, despite the fact being economically and technologically advanced compared to Russia, have not been able to effectively counter Russian aggression. This research examines the essentiality of cyber security as a mere software or cyber command can create instability and drastic consequences requiring millions for clean-up by examining Russian cyber-attacks on Estonia, Georgia, Ukraine, US and Western Europe and concludes that the first steps towards Cyber and Information Warfare have been made, it is now to be made sure this does not escalate into a Cyber Arms Race. The research recommends that cyber security should be treated as an international issue with rules established for cyber governance and databases identifying cyber criminals and the software used by them or can be used by them and requires cooperation rather than competition amongst states particularly global superpowers.


1951 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 153-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. F. T. Plucknett

Nearly ten years ago I ventured to lay before you some speculations upon the origin of impeachment, and to suggest that the classical view of its nature was not a sure guide to its historical origins. In its developed form it could be reasonably described as a trial by the lords of a person whom the commons had indicted (or nearly so) of high crimes and misdemeanours. Thus linked up with the age-old criminal procedure of the common law, the parliamentary impeachment could cast a decent veil of legality over the political realities which too often disgraced it, and could pose before the world in the reassuring robes of justice.


2021 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 516-526
Author(s):  
Bharat Jotwani

A substitute disease was recently discovered in Wuhan, China at the beginning of 2019. It is recognized that this disease was caused by a new kind of substitute coronavirus and almost affects the whole world. The 2019-nCov or Wuhan-coronavirus was identified by Chinese investigators. But the World Health Organisation has called it as COVID-19 virus when communicating with the COVID-19 media worldwide as well as in India to prevent doubts and misunderstandings. It has disturbed and made people unstable. In Indian society there are numerous misunderstandings and rumours of coronavirus that cause trepidation in the mind of people. The myths and facts about coronavirus must be discerned so that we can alleviate the panic between people so that adequate precautions can be taken for our safety. This article thus aims to make the common people aware of the myths and the facts. We must understand and keep knowledge of myths through social media so that we can protect you with such harsh evils. At individual levels, people must avoid COVID 19. Appropriate action will be beneficial to the whole world in discreet communities and countries.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto Dafonte-Gómez ◽  
María-Isabel Míguez-González ◽  
Juan-Manuel Corbacho-Valencia

Social media has become a relevant content dissemination channel in recent years. Each user has the capacity to potentially reach others, and in this way, social media challenges the traditional distribution of content through mass media. The advertising industry has had to adapt to this new ecosystem and develop audiovisual pieces specifically tailored to this environment as part of their communication strategies. These pieces aim at achieving not only views but to engage viewers in sharing content with their contacts. Recent research indicates that there are certain aspects of human behaviour related to emotions and motivations that have an impact on the decision to share information, news and content with others. However, there are few studies analysing how the features of the content shared influence that decision. This article presents the content analysis results of the 100 most widely shared advertising viral videos around the world from 2011 to 2015 according to Adweek. The analysis was conducted from an emotional perspective in order to establish the common features of the most shared videos and to identify the frequency in which emotional narrative resources are used.


Author(s):  
Brett van Niekerk

In November 2013 a series of protests in the Ukraine resulted in a change of government, which was followed by a pro-Russian incursion of Crimea in 2014 and an attempted breakaway by Eastern Ukraine. During this crisis information warfare tactics were used extensively, from propaganda and misinformation to cyber-attacks. The chapter discusses these information warfare activities based on reports, social media activity, and secondary data. The time period of interest is up to mid-May 2014, however subsequent major events are considered. An ‘ideal' information warfare campaign and possible future repercussions of the conflict are discussed. The information warfare campaigns are discussed in relation to cyber-strategies. The impact of the cyber-strategies of the two nations involved and lessons learned will be discussed.


MCU Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 128-148
Author(s):  
Donald M. Bishop

Disinformation, the disruptive effects of social media, and the prospect of information warfare increasingly preoccupy national security thinkers. In the twentieth century, years of prewar and wartime propaganda by the Axis powers and the Soviet Union made the World Wars and the Cold War longer and more costly. In this century, China and North Korea represent two nations that have propagandized their populations for 70 years, hardening them against informational initiatives. What are the lessons? How should the United States assemble a strategy to counter propaganda’s effects?


2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 137-154
Author(s):  
Ruth E. Rosenberg

432 Hz music is a relatively recent internet-based phenomenon that has attracted listeners and musicians from all parts of the world. Increasingly connected via social media, listeners in this subculture do not necessarily share the same musical tastes or backgrounds. Rather, they have in common a belief that music tuned to the standard pitch of A-440 Hz is in some sense “out of tune” with nature or humanity. Alternatively, they prefer (and in some cases promote and advocate for) music that is tuned to a slightly lower, A-432 Hz standard. This preference is, for many, connected to beliefs that the A-432 Hz tuning reference can be physically, psychologically, and even spiritually beneficial. This article examines the promise of—and skepticism towards—the concept of “frequency” that is at the center of the 432 Hz phenomenon. It draws from research into some of the common historical, scientific, and conspiratorial claims made by 432 Hz advocates, as well as from qualitative data collected from dedicated 432 Hz listeners. After exploring the listening practices and media engagement of 432 Hz proponents, the article asks how the rise of 432 Hz music might relate to other recent and emerging forms of music consumption, the affective marketing of sound, and the management of personal sonic space.


2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 120-130
Author(s):  
Coline Covington

The Berlin Wall came down on 9 November 1989 and marked the end of the Cold War. As old antagonisms thawed a new landscape emerged of unification and tolerance. Censorship was no longer the principal means of ensuring group solidarity. The crumbling bricks brought not only freedom of movement but freedom of thought. Now, nearly thirty years later, globalisation has created a new balance of power, disrupting borders and economies across the world. The groups that thought they were in power no longer have much of a say and are anxious about their future. As protest grows, we are beginning to see that the old antagonisms have not disappeared but are, in fact, resurfacing. This article will start by looking at the dissembling of a marriage in which the wall that had peacefully maintained coexistence disintegrates and leads to a psychic development that uncannily mirrors that of populism today. The individual vignette leads to a broader psychological understanding of the totalitarian dynamic that underlies populism and threatens once again to imprison us within its walls.


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