WEEK 9 BLOG
I found an article written in 2006 by the BBC at the web address of: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4655196.stm. This article was titled “US Plans to ‘fight the net’ revealed’”. The article is about three years old but it was very interesting to read. It talked about a recently declassified document called the “Information Operations Roadmap” from the US Military detailing plans of the “Psychological Operations” branch of the military (Psyops) to use technology to have domineering control over the internet and other networks. It details that the US Military should be prepared to control, overthrow, manipulate or destroy “enemy networks” in “electronic warfare”. The article is somewhat alarming in its description of how some of the Psyops propaganda is leaked back into the domestic media. Referring back to our readings throughout this course, it is easy for us to imagine that any propaganda sent through online networks or to the media to other countries whether they be benign or malevolent are going to filter back into our domestic society. In Wood and Smith they speak of the “Discursive Resistance” and creation of spaces within the places that the “dominant power structures” reside (pg. 180). These discursive resistance’s and other “International Communities” are described as being far reaching and widely accessible (because they are on the “WORLD WIDE WEB“), especially, as Psyops plans, when they are broadcast to the mainstream media.
It should occur to whomever is tasked with this “electronic warfare” that any propaganda or attacks that are sent online to “enemy states” are probably going to wind up in the hands on domestic users as well due to the universal accessibility of the internet. For instance anyone can access most foreign news media unless it is fire walled for some reason. The only barrier would be language. Also, how many US citizens are abroad conducting business, studies, on temporarily working and living overseas? These individuals are sure to see these messages as well.
Another interesting part of the article that made me think of possible problems with the “Information Operations Roadmap” idea is that of creditability. As Postman states in “The Great Symbol Drain“ chapter, we are already having a tough time with maintaining our ‘historical narrative’ (Symbol drain is both a symptom and a cause of a loss of narrative p. 173) due to the over saturation of our historic, religious, and traditional symbols through mainstream media. Now we have to wonder if what we are watching, observing, or hearing is military propaganda that has found its way back to our domestic sphere. This isn’t like a bomb that destroys a targeted area, the information lingers and spreads. Referring back to Postman again who warns of the nullification of vast quantities of information and symbols, this propaganda will have very negative effects on our overall faith in online communication. Postman attributes “Symbol drain” and loss of narrative to be exacerbated by technopoly:
The constraints are so few that we may call this a form of cultural rape, sanctioned by an ideology that gives boundless supremacy to technological progress and is indifferent to the unraveling of tradition (p. 170)This “Information Operations Roadmap” could have its uses in destroying enemy networks but there should be some serious consideration into the side affects or potential backfire this could have on the online world. There needs to be constraints against destructive forces such as this. Using the internet as a weapon should not be taken lightly, its not like sprinkling pamphlets from an air plane or blasting friendly messages over loudspeakers to the towns folk. Anything distributed online has a worldwide reach, its seeps into our homes and into the minds of everyone, including the unwary or unsuspecting domestic user.
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March 13, 2009 at 7:29 am
Alex Casey
It’s amazing just thinking about all of the ways the US government wants to control these things. Even if it’s a global resource, they’ll figure out some way of manipulating the content and make it their own. None of these operations seem to consider the repercussions of these events, if such an event were made public. I’m sure they never thought that this roadmap would be available to everybody like it is now, but since it did, it probably means that they have some new revamped roadmap already in its place. It’s this kind of stuff, along with numerous other things, that give the US this bad reputation of being too dominant and overpowering.
March 14, 2009 at 4:53 pm
megustas2
I remember hearing on NPR during the Russian invasion of Georgia that individuals had altered Georgian government websites to blast the countries leadership and policies. I do not have a strong enough grasp on websites etc to understand the complexity behind such moves but I can remember being astonished by the whole ordeal. Altering a website is a method of silencing and surely strays from all things democratic. I have no doubt that the US has invested a great amount of time and money into developing the skills and software needed to perform such tasks. Which raises a lot of important and scary questions that are not often talked about. Great job bringing up and explaining this topic in your blog.