(Ottawa) The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) uses Soviet images to raise awareness against disinformation. But experts say Moscow is more likely to use images that give readers the impression that the message comes from North American sources.
Posted at 9:22 am.
Dylan Robertson and Jim Bronskill The Canadian Press
Last month, CSIS began intentionally posting misleading information online on social media.
The messages contain characters similar to the Cyrillic alphabet, with stars instead of dots and the letter N upside down. One shows a Russian doll, known as a matryoshka, with the caption: “Do you know who is behind this?” The disinformation is there and can be easily hidden.”
Another advises Canadians to “be aware.” [qu’ils partagent] » on social networks and refers to the threat of trolls.
Aaron Erlich, a professor of political science at McGill University, agrees that it is important to raise awareness of misleading information online. However, he believes the CSIS campaign’s formulation was “not the simplest” and appeared to be an attempt not only to educate but also to incite fear.
Professor Erlich says clumsy messages can backfire. He would like to know if the message was tested to see how it would be received.
In a statement, CSIS claims the campaign aims to inform Canadians about the risks associated with multiple countries, not just Russia.
“While this social media campaign was reminiscent of Soviet imagery, the main goal of the campaign was to raise public awareness of the threats posed by all hostile state actors who often engage in hostile activities, such as the clandestine spread of disinformation against Canadians,” writes speaker Lindsay Sloane.
According to the agency, state and non-state actors exploit open democracies like Canada, particularly because the Internet allows them to amplify messages that “disrupt healthy debate” and undermine trust in institutions.
“As more Canadians transition from traditional media to a digital information environment, opportunities to deliver news have expanded and social media provides additional channels for amplification,” says Ms. Sloane.
Professor Erlich, who has studied Russian disinformation, agrees with CSIS and says the message often goes beyond legitimate debates and politicians’ skepticism. Moscow’s message, in turn, aims to discredit the democratic process by portraying all politicians as corrupt fundamentalists underpinning reality.
He points out that Russia’s disinformation attempts generally do not appear to originate from Russia.
“Russians in particular are very good at creating fake identities on Facebook of North Americans, Canadians and Americans that look and feel like the people interacting…certainly not looking like they’re from Russia,” said Erlich.
Data collected by the G7’s Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) supports this claim and suggests that many pro-Russian messages come from websites similar to North American or European media.
The MRR is an initiative to strengthen coordination to detect and respond to threats to large industrial democracies.
MRR Canada reports from earlier this year, a copy of which was obtained by The Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act, identify websites that are not overtly linked to the Russian state but are closely tied to the Kremlin’s narrative. They repeat conspiracy theories and try to undermine countries’ support for Ukraine.
The analysis focuses on so-called “gray Russian media websites” such as Global Research, a Canadian-registered site that accuses the West of trying to “destroy Russia” by somehow provoking Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last January, analysts argued that the website used selective quotes to suggest that supporting Ukraine would lead to a devastating world war.
For example, the website quotes Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland as saying a Ukrainian victory would be “a huge boost for the global economy.” It cited the conflict’s impact on global trade flows, but the website presented the comment as suggesting that the West was waging war for economic gain.