Information disorder, the Triumvirate, and COVID-19: How media outlets, foreign state intrusion, and the far-right diaspora drive the COVID-19 anti-vaccination movement

Information disorder has become an increasing concern in the wake of the 2016 US presidential election. With the state of the COVID-19 pandemic rapidly evolving in all facets, the vaccination debate has become increasingly polarized and subjected to a form of politics based around identity markers such as nationality, ethnicity, gender, and ideology. At the forefront of this is the COVID-19 anti-vaccination movement that has gained mainstream attention, leading to conflict with pro-vaccinationists. This has paved the way for exploitation by subversive elements such as, foreign state-backed disinformation campaigns, alternative news outlets, and right-wing influencers who spread false and misleading information, or disinformation, on COVID-19 in order to promote polarization of the vaccine debate through identity politics. Disinformation spread sows confusion and disorder, leading to the erosion of social cohesion as well as the potential for real-world conflict and violence. As a result, the article below will generate further understanding of the modern-day spread of disinformation, the strategies and tactics utilized by state and non-state actors, the effects of its exposure, and the social-psychological processes involved in its spread and resonance. Furthermore, in countering this phenomenon, this article recommends a collaborative framework involving emphasis on critical media literacy skills, citizen participation, and development of counter-offensive capabilities towards state-backed information operations.

Concept of Soft Violence in Critical Security Studies

On September 16, 2021, Professor Candyce Kelshall and Ms. Natalie Archutowski presented on the Concept of Soft Violence in Critical Security Studies at the 2021 CASIS Vancouver Defence and Security Advisory Network online forum. Primary topics included: evaluating violence as soft in nature, how and where soft violence might fit in the realm of critical security studies, violent transnational social movements (VTSMs), sharp power, and soft power.

Does Canada have anything in the way of a strategic warning intelligence culture (and does it need one)?

During the Cold War, Strategic Warning Intelligence (SWI) was a necessary and recognized function within the intelligence community given the threats posed by conventional Warsaw Pact forces in Western Europe and Soviet ballistic missiles. With the end of the Cold War, the focus of intelligence shifted to tactical or operational issues against known threats, and the SWI function and expertise atrophied as a result. With today’s expanding and more complex threat environment, this article examines whether SWI capacities should be reintroduced in order to apprise decision makers of trending threats to national security, albeit based on faint signals, so the necessary policy decisions can be made and prioritized to mitigate said threats in a timely manner.

Big Data Surveillance

On October 21, 2021, Dr. Valerie Steeves presented Big Data Surveillance: Privacy and Trust Implications at the October 2021 CASIS Digital Roundtable event. This presentation was followed by a question and answer period, where CASIS Executives and attendees were given the opportunity to discuss the presentation with Dr. Steeves. The discussion topics included building an understanding of data surveillance for young people and safeguarding their privacy through building trusting relations.

Evolution of QAnon & Radicalization by Conspiracy Theories

On September 16, 2021, Dr. Moskalenko presented the Emergence and Evolution of QAnon & Radicalization by Conspiracy Theories at the 2021 CASIS Vancouver Defence Security Advisory Network Workshop. A key point of discussion was the growth of self-described “truth seeking” collectives such as QAnon. The QAnon collective has been growing in popularity at an alarming rate since the beginning of the pandemic, as the group uses multiple avenues to grow its network. Dr. Moskalenko discussed how the radicalization of individuals comes from conspiracy theories through the use of outlandish and striking conspiracies that act as entertainment, isolate individual from broader society and coincidentally, degrading mental health as a result of COVID-19.

Exploring the Radicalization Pipeline on YouTube

On September 16, 2021, Amanda Champion presented Exploring the Radicalization Pipeline on YouTube at the 2021 CASIS Vancouver Defence and Security Advisory Network Workshop. Champion discussed incel and misogynistic radicalization on YouTube in order to uncover and explore its effect on the broader network of extremist groups.

The Weaponization of Deep Fakes

On August 19, 2021, the Canadian Association for Security and Intelligence Studies (CASIS) Vancouver hosted a digital roundtable titled The Weaponization of Deep Fakes: Threats and Responses conducted by our guest speaker, Dr. Hany Farid, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley School of Information. The presentation was followed by a question and answer period with questions from the audience and CASIS Vancouver executives.

“Small Fires Causing Large Fires”: The rise of Boko Haram in Northeastern Nigeria and its Transnational Posture in the Lake Chad Basin

The Islamist group, Jama’atul Alhul Sunnah Lidda’wati wal Jihad, translated as “people committed to the propagation of the Prophet’s teachings and jihad”, is commonly known as Boko Haram, which means “Western education is forbidden.” It originated in Nigeria’s northeastern state of Borno in 2002, but its violence extends into neighboring Cameroon, Chad, and Niger in the Lake Chad Basin. This article provides an overview of the factors that led to the emergence of Boko Haram, its resort to violence, and rapid expansion in the Lake Chad Basin. The article argues that the Boko Haram insurgency is the result of the combination of overlapping and self-complementing factors. The similarity of these factors across Nigeria’s neighboring countries in the Lake Chad Basin has led to the rapid escalation of Boko Haram’s conflict.

Memeology

On June 17, 2021, the Canadian Association for Security and Intelligence Studies (CASIS) Vancouver hosted a digital roundtable titled Memeology: Normalizing Hate Through Humour? The presentation was conducted by Dr. Viveca S. Greene, Associate Professor of Media Studies at Hampshire College, along with Makena Rasmussen, Writer for Meme Insider, and Dutch Clark, Intern at Trademark Event Productions. The presentation was followed by a question-and-answer period with questions from the audience and CASIS Vancouver executives.

Memes and Media's Role in Radicalization

On September 16, 2021, Dr. Tina Askanius presented on Memes and Media Usage for Radicalization at the 2021 CASIS Vancouver Defence Security Advisory Network Workshop. The key points discussed were memes as cultural units of meaning, their serious global implications, their ability to easily break through cultural and linguistic barriers, and their intricate ability to serve as ‘gateways’ into more extreme elements of far-right ideologies.