The Information Warfare Thread

[bojan]

č - ch

ć - soft tj. No such thing exist in English, so it is often pronounced as as another č/ch.

[Roman Alymov]

č - ch

ć - soft tj. No such thing exist in English, so it is often pronounced as as another č/ch.

The same in modern Russian ("Вучич") - not surprising as "Soviet Russian", compared to other Slavic languages, is simplified "imperial" language adopted for use by non-Russian speakers, and effective industrial-style education system.

[bojan]

In Russian it would be T/soft sign, but none writes names that way.

Edited November 1, 2016 by bojan

[TTK Ciar]

Thank you, both of you.

[wendist]

http://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=2054&artikel=6554246

 

"As hacking and threats of "cyber attacks" play a bigger role in the worsening relations between the USA and Russia, Radio Sweden hears how Sweden is part of the Nato Centre for Cyber Defence Cooperation in Tallinn, and speaks to the Swedish expert who now works there."

[Stuart Galbraith]

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/bletchley-park-school-codebreakers_uk_5836eabee4b0ddedcf5c62f5

Bletchley Park, once home to the team that cracked Enigma, is set to reopen its doors as a sixth form college for the next generation of code-breakers.

Over the next two years, the historic site will be transformed into the National College of Cybersecurity under plans to tackle a growing cyber-skills shortage.

Cybercrime has rapidly become one of the biggest threats to national security, with the intelligence agency GCHQ opening a cyber security centre last month.

 

[Panzermann]

Russia accuses Ukraine of meddling in the POTUS2016 elections and hindering Trumps campaign:

 

A top Russian official is accusing the Ukrainian government of undermining Donald Trumps presidential campaign by trashing him on social media and disseminating dirt on one of his close associates.

A spokeswoman for Russias Foreign Ministry on Thursday contended that the Ukrainian government over the summer damaged Trumps campaign by implicating his then-campaign chief Paul Manafort in a corruption scandal involving a pro-Russian Ukrainian political party funded by oligarchs.

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/russia-ukraine-trump-manafort-232101

 

---

 

hackers inserted propaganda TV into israeli broadcasting upstream:

 

Hackers interrupted broadcasting on an Israeli television channel on Tuesday night to stream an Islamic call to prayer, amid anger over official moves to silence mosques in Israel and occupied East Jerusalem.

Israel's privately owned Channel 2 was interrupted for around 30 seconds, with images of Muslim holy sites broadcast instead of normal content.

Channel 10 was also disrupted, with messages suggesting that a recent spate of

forest fires that devastated much of Israel were "divine retribution" for a bill that would see the call to prayer banned.

http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/hackers-broadcast-call-prayer-israeli-tv-347988466

 

---

 

C-SPAN has broadcast Putin's state of russia adress for thirty minutes:

 

https://de.sputniknews.com/politik/20161202313598353-usa-putin-ansprache-ausstrahlung/

 

(couldn't find it on english sputnik)

Edited December 2, 2016 by Panzermann

[Roman Alymov]

https://www.buzzfeed.com/craigsilverman/how-macedonia-became-a-global-hub-for-pro-trump-misinfo?utm_term=.em31D4Adr#.tjMQAbGKM How Teens In The Balkans Are Duping Trump Supporters With Fake News

[Roman Alymov]

http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-propaganda-about-russian-propaganda/amp#

The Propaganda About Russian Propaganda

[Roman Alymov]

[Roman Alymov]

[GARGEAN]

Translate?

[Blunt Eversmoke]

NTV polls. First: Can one trust Putin? Results: 75% yes, 25% no.

Second: Should Merkel show Putin his limits? 17%, yes, 83% no.

Disclaimer below current poll results: "This poll is not representative" (is not claimed to be representative, rather?..).

Edited December 3, 2016 by Blunt Eversmoke

[GARGEAN]

Hm... Interesting to know details of this poll. Like number of asked and details like live place and work sphere. Cause it's really strange to see such things after level of anti-russian hysteria in western MMs.

[Roman Alymov]

Disclaimer below current poll results: "This poll is not representative" (is not claimed to be representative, rather?..).

Telephone poll run by TV channel can't be representative by definition, so it is 100% correct disclaimer, poll it is just another feature to attract and keep viewers. Still, results are strange for me, as showing this German channel audience sort of skeptical about ambient propaganda.

Edited December 3, 2016 by Roman Alymov

[BansheeOne]

Yeah, it's a "call us to give your opinion" rather than "we call you to get your opinion" type poll, similar to the clickbait online polls you'll commonly find on news sites; note that the fine print below the "not representative" disclaimer says "50 cent per call if using German landlines, much more from mobile phones" - IOW, participants pay to give their opinion. These things are aimed at folks who have a strong opinion on a more-or-less controversial topic, so the sample is self-selecting rather than representative. Also, interest groups will often quickly mobilize sympathizers via social media/internet boards to vote in their favor. Commonly done with gun rights subjects for example, resulting in huge pro-gun results not necessarily indicative of popular opinion at large.

 

There is of course a number of current representative polls on German-Russian relations, too. The latest I'm aware of is of the Körber Foundation which has a "Russia in Europe" focus project argueing, in their own words, for "the rejuvenation of an open, critical and constructive dialogue between Russia and its European neighbours"; though the poll in question is their monthly one on German views on foreign policy, pithily entitled "Get Involved or Hold Back?" and conducted by TNS Infratest. In the question for the most- or second-most important partner for German foreign policy, 56 percent mentioned the US in November compared to 60 in October; 48 percent France (- 12); 17 percent Russia (+ 3); eight percent China (+ 4); four percent the UK (- 1); three percent Turkey (- 2); three percent Italy (+/- 0); two percent Austria (+/- 0); and one percent Poland (+/- 0).

 

In the question for greatest challenges of German foreign policy (up to three replies possible), relations with the US made a yuuuge jump from seven to 30 after Trump's election; refugees dropped from 46 to 28; relations with Turkey also jumped from eight to 21 while the trouble in Syria dropped from 25 to ten; relations with Russia were mostly steady at 17 percent (+ 1). Other challenges mentioned were state of the EU at 13 (+ 3), general conflict in the Middle East at five (+ 1), relations with the UK at five (+ 2), the IS and Islamist terror at four (- 2), and general peacemaking/conflict resolution at four (+/- 0).

 

The latest Deutschlandtrend by infratest dimap for broadcaster ARD is from the week before the US elections and had the following to say on trustworthy and untrustworthy partners for Germany:

 

 

Twelve percent of those polled also said relations with the US would improve if Hillary won the US elections, while 80 percent said nothing much would change and five percent said relations would deterioriate. Conversely, just two percent thought relations would improve under Trump, 19 said they would stay the same, and 77 percent thought they would deteriorate.

 

 

The most recent somewhat relevant poll by FGW for broadcaster ZDF is a few days older, wherein 43 percent of those polled were in favor of sanctions against Russia over Syria, and 47 were against. Regarding the US elections, 15 percent said relations would improve under Hillary, 74 said they would stay the same, and four said they would deteriorate; in case of a Trump win, two percent said they would improve, 13 thought they would stay the same, and 80 that they would deteriorate.

[Stuart Galbraith]

Im gratified Germany trusts us that highly. Im not quite sure what we have done to deserve it. Or it it perhaps a regard for Theresa May? She and Merkel seemed to get on quite well.

[GARGEAN]

snip

Thanks for the info a lot.

[BansheeOne]

Apropos of the above, just a beautiful example how much the German far left and right jive.

 

Chancellor Merkel has given up German sovereignty - right-wing party leader

Published time: 20 Jun, 2016 06:32

Edited time: 30 Jun, 2016 08:18

This week, the United Kingdom will vote on whether the nation should leave the European Union - the discussion coming on heels of intensifying displeasure with the way Brussels handles the waves of immigrants and financial troubles besieging Europe. Right-wing parties are on the rise all across the European Union, and even in Germany the support for the AFD - the right-wing Alternative for Germany party - is rapidly growing despite resistance from political establishment. What started as an anti-euro movement is now branded as "anti-immigrant" and "anti-Islam" - but what's behind these accusations and what's behind its growing popularity? We ask the leader of the AFD; Dr. Frauke Petry is on Sophie&Co today.

Sophie Shevardnadze: Frauke Petry, leader of the Alternative for Germany political party, welcome to the show, it's great to have you with us. Dr. Petry, the German army is working on a new doctrine, called the Bundeswehr’s White Paper. Die Welt reported that Russia will be designated as an adversary for Germany in the new document, although the German Defence Minister has not confirmed that. She called Moscow a "challenge" instead. Portraying Russia as a challenge or an adversary to Germany instead of the priority partner - which it used to be for a long time - so who benefits from that and how?

Frauke Petry: You see, we think this sort of a change in behaviour of the German Federal government is something that concerns us, as a new political party, very much, because we think that Germany's task, Germany's issue, not only with Russia but with the European community, not with the US, is to function as a balancing partner. We still think that Russia should be regarded and treated as a priority partner and it should be Germany moving that sort of relationship forward.

SS: So, who benefits from this? Who benefits from labeling Russia a "challenge" or an "adversary" instead of a "priority partner"?

FP: Well, I can tell you who's definitely not benefiting and that's going to be Germany. You see, I don't want to go into detail on who's going to benefit from that, but I think that having a strategy like that in the EU is something that is going to damage, overall, our relationship with Russia, and that is why we do not agree with that.

SS: So, can tensions between Moscow and NATO ease as the block increases its troops' presence on the Russia's western border, which Berlin is also contributing too?

FP: Well, of course it is, and we also see that with a lot of concern: NATO troops on the western border of Russia - we don't think that this is going to contribute to a positive relationship, and therefore we warn German citizens and we also warn German government not to continue with a strategy like that.

SS: You know, Germany's Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier wants to ease economic sanctions against Russia. Now, both chambers of the French Parliament, for example, have recently recommended its government to end the sanctions. Can politicians inside Germany put real pressure on their government to start dismantling these sanctions? How does it work in your country?

FP: We are constantly trying to do that. So, the AFD was the only German party right from the start asking to end sanctions against Russia, and we see, over the last couple of weeks and months that some of the government politicians start to follow. For example, also, the Saxony PM Tillich, he asked now to do the same thing and he also went to Moscow to visit Vladimir Putin. It's all too slow, that's what we think in the Alternative for Germany, but, obviously, even the EU politicians now realize that these sanctions damage the relationship between Russia and Germany much more than they thought they would.

SS: But, damaging is one thing, but also, I think, the French realized that their economy is being partially damaged as well, that's why they are pushing forward with it. What about Germany? Can you take real measures to actually pressure the government to start dismantling the sanctions?

FP: We can calculate the degrees in economic growth in German and economists reckon that with the sanctions against Russia we losing something about 1% of our economic growth This is a severe problem, especially in the East of Germany, but not only there. Whenever I go through the regions of Germany I find many people, many citizens, entrepreneurs, all sorts of small- and medium-sized companies who tell me that they suffer from these sanctions. So, I think, that slowly but gradually this message also gets to our government, politicians - but, I think, it's getting far too slow.

[...]

 

https://www.rt.com/shows/sophieco/347415-brexit-germany-rightwing-party/

 

Merkel has always acknowledged American hegemony – German Left Party MP

Published time: 5 Dec, 2016 08:46

Edited time: 5 Dec, 2016 13:52

With Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential race putting the prospects for transatlantic cooperation in jeopardy, EU leaders are now bracing for change. With Washington promising to focus on internal affairs, Berlin may now have to play the lead among its Western allies. Angela Merkel is planning to run for a fourth term as German Chancellor, and is seen by many as a beacon of stability in turbulent times. But as the country struggles with an influx of refugees, and public discontent grows, will non-establishment candidates be able to take on Germany’s ruling party? We ask the parliamentary leader of the Left Party – Sahra Wagenknecht.

Sophie Shevardnadze: Chancellor Angela Merkel will be running for a fourth term, but in regional elections, Merkel's CDU party has suffered defeat. Will the Germans vote for the stability that comes with Merkel, or will they vote for change?

Sahra Wagenknecht: I wouldn't say that Chancellor Merkel represents stability. Merkel has brought even greater social inequality to our country. There are a lot of people who feel that politicians have abandoned them, that we are moving away from democracy. But the problem is, there are no strong candidates within the Social Democratic Party, so the risk is quite real that Chancellor Merkel will remain in office for another four years. I think that most people in this country do not want things to "stay the same".

SS: There is growing support in your country for the Eurosceptic party Alternative for Germany - AfD. Do they stand any real chance of becoming part of the coalition government and influencing public policy?

SW: Well, I don't think Alternative for Germany will become part of the next government. But you're right, Alternative for Germany is, indeed, becoming stronger. It has made some very significant gains in recent regional elections, but not so much because people support the position of the AfD – it is chiefly because they were disappointed with the other parties.

It looks to them as if politicians don't really care about their interests, and so many believe that by choosing Alternative for Germany they can express their anger, their frustration, and protest. In other words, for many people, a vote given to Alternative for Germany is a way to express their disappointment, not a sign that they wholeheartedly support the idea of AfD defining Germany's politics. I don't see them achieving that much, but I fear that they will have a much stronger representation in the next Bundestag.

SS: Der Spiegel wrote that during his visit to Berlin, the outgoing American President Barack Obama personally led the campaign in support of Merkel. Can Merkel be considered a successor to American policies in Europe?

SW: Well, she has always been a very successful proponent of American policy. She always believed that her function is to acknowledge and recognise American hegemony, the hegemony of the United States, meaning that it should ALWAYS be recognised. We do not know of any case in which Merkel has raised any objections against American policy, including military action both with NATO and without it.

I mean the military action that took place under American leadership, and in which Merkel played her part, and, therefore, Germany did, too. The most recent example of this is Syria. So, there has always been a close relationship between Chancellor Merkel and Obama and, unfortunately, she has never said anything critical with regards to the United States. When German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier expressed a different view, for example, when he criticised NATO maneuvers in Eastern Europe, in those cases, of course, Mrs. Merkel always kept silent. There has always been a kind of alignment with the United States, as well as a need for American approval.

[...]

SS: German Minister for Foreign Affairs Frank-Walter Steinmeier thinks that NATO’s military buildup on Russia’s borders doesn’t strengthen the Alliance’s security. But at the same time Germany keeps sending troops and tanks to Lithuania, to the Russian border. Who is interested in the exacerbation of tensions with Russia?

SW: We’ve been constantly speaking out against this. We believe this is not the path to stability and security in Europe. We need cooperation; we need to go back to the principles of de-escalating tensions.

This means that whether I like the other party’s interests or not, I have to respect them and take them seriously. Whatever I do, I must take into account the other party’s interests. We need this kind of cooperation. Europe and Russia coexist on the same continent. Russia is our neighbour, our great neighbour. And we, I mean the European countries, want to live peacefully with Russia. I really hope this ridiculous maneuvering to the beat of the drum and military build-up may come to an end. I hope everybody realises that this conflict with Russia is harmful to Europe and to our future relations.

SS: The U.S. president-elect has called NATO “obsolete.” According to Der Spiegel, the alliance is considering its options in case the U.S. withdraws from it. Should this happen, will Europe be strong enough to protect itself?

SW: I think that Europe needs an independent foreign policy, and this has nothing to do with Donald Trump. We on the left side of the spectrum want NATO dissolved and replaced with a collective security system which should include Russia. We should provide security together instead of being separated in the trenches of the Cold War.

It is definitely time we do that. As for the possibility that the U.S. may leave NATO, I think it is very unlikely. Let’s wait and see what happens to U.S. foreign policy. But regardless of that, I think Europe has its own interests, and Europe should pursue its own policy. We shouldn’t allow us to be used as an instrument in the interests of U.S.-led NATO.

[...]

SS: You said that the sanctions imposed on Russia are detrimental to the European economy. Why doesn’t the EU lift them, then?

SW: We’ve called for sanctions to be lifted. They have no positive effect; they really harm the EU economy, Russian economy, of course, and our people. This policy, this idea that imposing these sanctions would bring positive results, is absolutely absurd. Quite the opposite, we should think about how we could achieve the needed results through dialogue and cooperation, not sanctions. This approach is outdated and absolutely wrong.

SS: You said that it’s because of U.S. pressure that Europe maintains its tough stance towards Russia. Now there is a possibility that Moscow-Washington relations might improve, yet Europe keeps following its anti-Russian policies. Doesn’t that mean it has nothing to do with U.S. pressure?

SW: Let’s wait and see. It’s a matter of time – we’ll see what foreign policy Trump decides to pursue. Europe is divided. Obviously, there has always been greater pressure to adopt a more anti-Russian stance coming from certain East European countries than, say, France or Italy, which tended to criticise this and would prefer their relations with Russia to be more cooperative. So Europe is divided in this respect. We’ll see how the situation develops and what stance the EU will adopt in the end. Unfortunately, Germany has not played a very positive role in this. But time will tell. Germany will have its own election next year, and no one knows what the new government will be like, no one knows if Merkel will remain Germany’s leader. We’ll see. I don’t believe things should stay exactly the same as before.

[...]

 

https://www.rt.com/shows/sophieco/369194-germany-merkel-public-discontent/

[Panzermann]

Both fishing in the same pond.

 

---

 

The czech republic now has its very own ministerium of truthness:

 

Czech Republic sets up unit to counter fake news threat

Updated 1608 GMT (0008 HKT) December 28, 2016

 

(CNN) The Czech Republic is setting up a new counter-terrorism unit aimed at the threat posed by "foreign disinformation campaigns" -- or fake news.

The Center Against Terrorism and Hybrid Threats is due to start operating on Sunday, according to an interior ministry statement .

The new center is intended to monitor internal security threats, including attacks on soft targets and extremism, as well as "disinformation campaigns related to internal security."

Its establishment follows the publication in September of a Czech intelligence service report that identified Russian disinformation and cyber-espionage activities as a potential threat to the Czech Republic, European Union and NATO.

Washington accused Russia of interfering with November's US presidential election by hacking into Democratic National Committee emails and leaking details to the public.

 

Germany, where key elections are also due next year, has also voiced concern over the growing cyber threat posed by Russia.

The Czech Republic is due to hold a general election next year.

Putin brushed off the accusations Friday, saying it did not matter who was behind the apparent hacking in the US. He said the hacks were important because they had revealed truthful information, such as the alleged favoritism showed by the DNC to Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders.

 

Report: 'Covert infiltration' of media

 

According to the Czech Security Information Service (BIS) annual report, Russia in 2015 used "influence and information operations" to try to manipulate public opinion in the Czech Republic in relation to Syria and Ukraine. Russia is involved in conflicts in both these countries.

Russia's hybrid warfare operations included "weakening the strength of Czech media" through "covert infiltration of Czech media and the Internet, massive production of Russian propaganda and disinformation controlled by the state," the report said.

Other Russian operations included founding puppet organizations, the "covert and open support of populist or extremist subjects," and "disrupting the coherence and readiness of NATO and the EU," the report claimed.

"The above-mentioned activities pose a threat to the Czech Republic, EU and NATO not only in relation to the Ukrainian and Syrian conflicts.

"The infrastructure created for achieving these goals will not disappear with the end of the two conflicts. It can be used to destabilize or manipulate Czech society or political environment at any time, if Russia wishes to do so."

According to the Czech interior ministry, its new unit won't be interrogating anyone, censoring online content or bringing legal proceedings, nor will it "have a button for 'switching off the internet.' "

But it will monitor threats, inform the public about "serious cases of disinformation" and promote internal security expertise

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/12/28/europe/czech-republic-anti-terrorism-fake-news-unit/

 

They czeched their Orwell. "Center Against Terrorism and Hybrid Threats". So called fake news are terrorism officially now?

[Roman Alymov]

 

 

They czeched their Orwell. "Center Against Terrorism and Hybrid Threats". So called fake news are terrorism officially now?

 

I think it is just combination of popular terms, to attract more money from state funds with less resistance of parliament (or who is responsible for budget in Czech republic). Seems like job of dream for media professionals: good budget, no real performance metrics, lots of travel on space expense to talk to similar organizations in other countries (and have a good time)…

Soviet “dissidents” enjoyed their work at this type of Western institutions.

From Rus POV it is good: the more time West is wasting time and money fighting to transform reality into what they want it to look like ideally, the less time they have to cause problems for Russia.

[GARGEAN]

Such ministy will be aimed only on "ivel Russia"? Or will it check ANY news from all sources, like hundreds of hospitals in Syria and closing US-related schools in Moscow?

[Stuart Galbraith]

Such ministy will be aimed only on "ivel Russia"? Or will it check ANY news from all sources, like hundreds of hospitals in Syria and closing US-related schools in Moscow?

You say that like you think it hasnt been happening. As for the schools, they might have escaped the axe this time, but plenty of NGO's have met the axe. And what of those adoption agencies the Tsar shut down, I guess we imagined those as well?

 

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38479179

An electrical company in the US state of Vermont says it has found malware code allegedly used by Russian hackers on one of its company laptops.

The Burlington Electric Department said it had taken "immediate action to isolate" the computer, which was not connected to the electrical grid.

The government alerted them to the "Grizzly Steppe" code on Thursday.

The same day, the US expelled 35 Russian diplomats over alleged Russian interference in November's election.

Moscow has denied any involvement in the hacking of the Democratic party and Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign.

On Friday, US President-elect Donald Trump praised Russian President Vladimir Putin for not expelling American diplomats in a tit-for-tat response.

The Burlington company said it was "working with federal officials to trace this malware and prevent any other attempts to infiltrate utility systems".

It has also briefed state officials and vowed to fully support the investigation.

The statement followed a Washington Post report, citing unnamed US officials, that Russian hackers had penetrated the electrical facility, underlining the vulnerability of America's national grid.

According to the news website, US authorities were unclear why Russian hackers might have targeted the grid.

"The incursion may have been designed to disrupt the utility's operations or as a test to see whether they could penetrate a portion of the grid," it added.

'Systemic, relentless, predatory'

Politicians in Vermont, including the Democrat Governor, Peter Shumlin, are calling for a full investigation into the incident.

"Vermonters and all Americans should be both alarmed and outraged that one of the world's leading thugs, [Russian President] Vladimir Putin, has been attempting to hack our electric grid, which we rely upon to support our quality-of-life, economy, health, and safety," he said in a statement.

Democratic congressman Peter Welch said the discovery showed "how rampant Russian hacking is".

"It's systemic, relentless, predatory," he added.

US officials believe Russia was behind the hacking of Ukraine's electrical grid in December 2015, which plunged parts of the country into darkness and left about 225,000 people without power.

Experts said it was the first known power outage caused by a cyber attack.

Edited January 1, 2017 by Stuart Galbraith

[GARGEAN]

You say that like you think it hasnt been happening. As for the schools, they might have escaped the axe this time, but plenty of NGO's have met the axe. And what of those adoption agencies the Tsar shut down, I guess we imagined those as well?

 

 

Of course it's happening. Hundreds of hospitals! And schools! And humanitarian convoys! And every goddam time info was taken from brilliantly reliable source.

About Anglo-American schools in Russia - it's just coincidence that they wasn't shut despite MMs saying otherwise and has nothing to do with fake news ans stuff.

 

Right?

[Stuart Galbraith]

As I say, you sound that as if it isnt happening. Maybe you should have watched the interview with a Doctor on Al Jazeera whom stated that a few minutes after he answered a text in the operating room, a bomb landed on it and levelled it. Probably a complete coincidence like.

 

On the positive side, shows the Russians have not lost the capability to intercept phones and target them, ala Dudayev.