A secret cyberwar research program, worth millions of pounds, which involves exploiting emerging technologies such as social media combined with psychological techniques to influence public beliefs, developed by the British Ministry of Defence, according to a Guardian publication.
As mentioned in the publication, within the framework of this program research is being conducted in areas such as the role of online avatars, psychology theories and the influence exerted by the sharing of «live» video, which are funded by the Ministry of Defense in collaboration with defense industry companies, academics, marketing specialists and think tanks.
In the perception of the British newspaper a list of entities fell to which such research programs have been assigned, with titles such as «Understanding Online Avatars», «Cognitive and Behaviour Concepts of Cyber Activities» and «Novel Techniques for Public Sentiment and Perception Elicitation». The programs are assigned by a special centre (centre of excellence) which is managed by BAE Systems, which has received funding of 20 million pounds since 2012, with plans for an additional 10 million within the year.
Among the objectives of the research assigned by this center are studies on various topics, from alcohol consumption in the armed forces, to understanding the behavior of Internet users from different cultures, the influence of social networks such as Twitter and Facebook, and the psychological impact of increased online video usage on the Internet, on websites such as YouTube. In the «microscope» it appears that groups of young Internet users are being placed, who are considered vulnerable to recruitment attempts for terrorist purposes.
«The cyberwar of the future may have less to do with “hacking” power‑grid networks and more with “hacking” minds, through shaping the environment in which political discussion takes place» says Dr. Tim Stevens of Kings College London, who deals with cyberwarfare and strategy topics.
Source: naftemporiki.gr
