Combatants in Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine are not limited only to those with boots on the ground – the tyrant is also targeting Western civilians with disinformation to sow division and boost Russian sympathy. Experts in online disinformation have explained how Brits can arm themselves against the underhanded strategy.
Express.co.uk previously revealed how Russia has been confirmed to be targeting specific social issues in order to drive Brits apart, making it more difficult for the country to unite against Putin’s imperialist aims in Ukraine.
Richard Bagnall, co-global managing partner of PR measurement and media analysis firm CARMA, explained to Express.co.uk: “Disinformation is deliberate, while misinformation is essentially accidental.”
He added the disinformation was coming “in all formats.”
“From people writing and sharing posts, and of course then with the rise of video,” he said. “We’re seeing more and more people preferring to ingest content by video and audio rather than taking the trouble to read. So it’s literally coming at them in multiple different formats.”
The first sign that you should be wary of any given social media post is when it is engaging with particularly polarising issues – especially when the claims being made feel too outrageous to be true, whether or not you agree with them.
Emily Taylor, cybersecurity specialist and the CEO of Oxford Information Labs Ltd, told Express.co.uk: “Russian disinformation techniques are highly effective, but they’re also quite predictable – look for polarising issues, on which opinions are divided, and be suspicious of apparently outrageous claims.”
This applies even when the information has been shared by people you already know – as they might themselves have been tricked by the initial source.
Dr Precious Chatterje-Doody, a senior lecturer at the Open University who has done extensive research into Russia’s “information war”, said: “Less effort is needed to spread disinformation, as there is a ready-made audience that is already invested in the topic and highly motivated to share additional content that they feel backs up their perspective on the debate.
“Because it chimes with their own feelings, they are less motivated to check whether it’s accurate, or whether it comes from a reliable source.”
She added that multiple sources are particularly important to look for when assessing if information online is true. “See if there are multiple sources for a particular claim,” said Dr Chatterje-Doody. “If not (or if multiple sources cross-refer to each other rather than original evidence) then there may well be something amiss.”
There are also several specific features about social media users that are worth looking out for to spot bots or bad actors, the experts said.
Users that have recently joined the site and are immediately taking lots of extreme positions should be treated with caution. If it is not obvious that they have recently joined, having very few followers and a limited post history can be signs.
Another red flag can be when the user claims to be British but their language suggests otherwise. While not everyone will use perfect English online in any case, Dr Chatterje-Doody said to specifically watch out for the incorrect use of ‘a’ and ‘the’, as these mistakes are “common in manufactured comments posted by paid Russian trolls.”
Finally, take note of what kind of language they are using. Particularly emotional and polarising language is often either deliberately being used to promote, or has been motivated by, disinformation.
The researcher added: “If you come across anything that seems shocking enough to provoke a strong emotive reaction then you should check the reliability of the source before sharing.”
Finally, the experts advised that the best way to fight disinformation on a day-to-day basis is to always be conscious of what you are reading or watching, and how you have come to see it. Social media algorithms will push users towards certain content, which is particularly useful for Russian bad actors who want Brits to turn against each other. It has become more essential than ever for Brits to stay aware of how any source of media may weaponise outrage to divide and manipulate them.
