The case study circles around the topical area of disinformation as part of hybrid warfare. Within this case study, selected examples of certain events regarding disinformation shall be portrayed, during the phase when Russia started to annex Crimea in 2014 and the subsequent disinformation campaigns, up until to the current war in Ukraine. Next to that, the case study shall give specific insights into one business actor, which is Google Jigsaw, a think tank and technology incubator within Google.
Table of contents
1 Intro
1.1 Details on the assignment
1.2 Option for this paper
2 Basis for the digital governance case
2.1 Details on hybrid warfare
2.2 Details on disinformation
2.3 Details on the digital governance case
3 Illustration of digital governance
4 Strongest role in the digital governance case
4.1 Role: State
4.2 Role: Civil society
4.3 Role: Business
4.4 Conclusion for this paper
Objectives and Research Themes
This case study examines the intersection of digital governance and hybrid warfare, specifically focusing on the use of disinformation campaigns in the context of the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian conflict. The primary goal is to analyze how different actors—state, civil society, and business—respond to these digital threats and to determine which actor holds the most significant influence in mitigating the adverse effects of information warfare.
- The role of disinformation within hybrid warfare strategies.
- The mechanisms of digital governance and technical responses to information disorder.
- The impact of corporate initiatives, such as Google Jigsaw, in countering digital threats.
- Comparative analysis of the capabilities of state, civil society, and business actors.
- Evaluation of digital resilience and defensive measures like pre-bunking and labeling.
Book Excerpt
Details on hybrid warfare
In a recent statement, Kuhle and Lambsdorff argue that many authoritarian regimes are deliberately trying to undermine and destabilize democracies. The combined use of a range of different instruments, e.g., cyberattacks, disinformation, and propaganda, as well as the financing of extremist parties are part of the hybrid warfare with which despots disguise their repression internally and accompany their aggression externally. Especially in the case of disinformation, human rights violations and war crimes are covered up by lies, confusion, and ambiguity, i.e., authoritarian rulers present themselves as strong leaders by sowing doubts about certain institutions and the capacity of democracy to act (Kuhle, Lambsdorff, 2022, URL).
According to Bilal, hybrid warfare “entails an interplay or fusion of conventional as well as unconventional instruments of power and tools of subversion” (Bilal, 2021, URL), and these used instruments shall have synergy effects to exploit the weaknesses of the other side. The goal is to cause damage to a state or actor in an optimal way (Bilal, 2021, URL). According to Dolan, hybrid warfare was always a crucial element of the military strategy of Russia (Dolan, 2022, URL).
Summary of Chapters
1 Intro: Outlines the scope of the case study, focusing on the assignment requirements and the justification for selecting the topic of disinformation as a component of hybrid warfare.
2 Basis for the digital governance case: Provides a theoretical foundation by defining hybrid warfare and disinformation, while detailing the historical context of the Russo-Ukrainian conflict and its relevance to digital tools.
3 Illustration of digital governance: Focuses on the role of Google Jigsaw and other corporate responses, demonstrating how private technology actors develop technical solutions to identify and combat manipulated digital content.
4 Strongest role in the digital governance case: Performs a comparative analysis of the roles of state, civil society, and business, concluding that business actors possess a uniquely strong influence due to their technological resources.
Keywords
Digital Governance, Hybrid Warfare, Disinformation, Russo-Ukrainian War, Google Jigsaw, Information Warfare, Synthetic Media, Astroturfing, State Actors, Civil Society, Corporate Responsibility, Cyberattacks, Digital Resilience, Pre-bunking, Information Disorder
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this paper?
This paper explores the role of digital governance in countering disinformation campaigns as they are employed within the framework of hybrid warfare, specifically looking at the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
What are the primary thematic areas covered?
The core themes include the definition and evolution of hybrid warfare, the mechanics of modern disinformation, the technical capability of corporate actors to mitigate these risks, and the comparative strength of different stakeholders in digital governance.
What is the central research objective?
The main objective is to identify and discuss which actor—the state, civil society, or the business sector—takes the most decisive and strongest role in digital governance when dealing with the challenge of disinformation.
Which scientific methods were applied in this assignment?
The study conducts a qualitative analysis based on academic literature in political science and communication studies, combined with an examination of various journalistic and technical reports regarding digital threats.
What core topics are addressed in the main chapters?
The main body examines the systemic nature of hybrid threats, highlights specific technological responses by corporations like Google Jigsaw, and evaluates the operational capacity of governments and NGOs to build societal resilience.
Which keywords characterize this analysis?
Key terms include digital governance, hybrid warfare, disinformation, information warfare, cyber resilience, and the interplay between state, corporate, and civil society actors.
How does the paper differentiate between mis-information and dis-information?
Referring to the Wardle and Derakhshan framework, the paper distinguishes them based on the intent to harm, where disinformation contains manipulated or fabricated content specifically designed to cause damage.
What distinguishes the role of corporations like Google Jigsaw?
The paper identifies that corporations hold a particularly strong role because they possess the advanced technical resources, algorithms, and machine learning platforms required to detect manipulated media and provide defense against coordinated attacks.
- Citar trabajo
- Stefan G. Raul (Autor), 2022, The use of disinformation as part of hybrid warfare, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1308731
