Countering Russian Information Operations in the Age of Social Media

Image courtesy of Anton Fomkin/Flickr. (CC BY 2.0)

This article was originally published by the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) on 21 November 2017.

As investigations into attempts to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election continue, more aspects of Russia’s approach to information warfare are coming to light. A steady stream of new disclosures is revealing a complex blend of hacking, public disclosures of private emails, and use of bots, trolls, and targeted advertising on social media designed to interfere in political processes and heighten societal tensions.