Here’s peak disinformation-policing. Twitter warning that Voice of America is linking to state-affiliated media. pic.twitter.com/YWC74XnisH
— TSB (@TweetingTSB) May 21, 2022
Miss Dismal would be proud.
Here’s peak disinformation-policing. Twitter warning that Voice of America is linking to state-affiliated media. pic.twitter.com/YWC74XnisH
— TSB (@TweetingTSB) May 21, 2022
Miss Dismal would be proud.
UPDATE: Nina Jankowicz has officially resigned from Disinformation Governance Board and the DHS. https://t.co/rLi3FvUNMw https://t.co/z4hdwTBFIB
— Taylor Lorenz (@TaylorLorenz) May 18, 2022
FBI? Is that you? https://t.co/hEknZzAN4s
— TSB (@TweetingTSB) May 17, 2022
It’s nice but unusual to see State noting the anniversary of a major battle, even if it’s framed as the foundation of Australian-American relations. Hey, the anniversary of Midway is June 4! https://t.co/Vclvm6uRwf
— TSB (@TweetingTSB) May 9, 2022
Congratulations to Patrick F. Kennedy, winner of the 2022 Director General's Cup for the Foreign Service. Amb Kennedy started his career in 1973 in the Bureau of African Affairs & retired as Under Secretary for Management in 2017. Today we celebrate his exceptional contributions. pic.twitter.com/l2XszbAI5R
— Department of State (@StateDept) May 6, 2022
Biden has reopened a Palestinian Mission in Jerusalem. That sends a message that Jerusalem is not the whole and undivided capital of Israel.
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) May 5, 2022
So I'll say what the president needs to hear: Jerusalem is the capital of Israel – and it will always be the capital of Israel. pic.twitter.com/sIURnhVao6
You can just call me the Mary Poppins of disinformation ππ»♀️ https://t.co/eGV9lpctYn pic.twitter.com/WVQFA2bPmq
— Nina Jankowicz πΊπ¦πΊπΈ (@wiczipedia) February 17, 2021
“So what [the DGB] does is it works to ensure that the way in which we address threats, the connectivity between threats and acts of violence, are addressed without infringing on free speech, protecting civil rights and civil liberties, the right of privacy.”Well, I notice that his self-described Mary Poppins of Disinformation has a rather broader view of her field.
Information-laundering is really quite ferocious,It’s when a huckster takes some lies and makes them sound precocious,by saying them in Congress or a mainstream outlet,so disinformation’s origins are slightly less atrocious
the censorship go down, the censorship go down,An earful of TikTok makes the censorship go down,
just an ear full of TikTok makes the censorship go down,
in a most insidious way
We don't write the algos that's for Twitter to do,
for Google to do, for Facebook to do,
we don't write the algos that's for those guys to do,in a private sector way
On the international front — what we’re talking about today — we have seen a trend of rising digital authoritarianism, where some states have been acting to repress freedom of expression, to censor independent news sources, to interfere with elections, promote disinformation around the world, and deny their citizens other human rights.I’m glad my own government doesn’t repress free expression, censor news sources, or do any of that digital authoritarianism stuff. No, it just works with tech companies to do that stuff on its behalf, which is different. To quote the White House spokesperson, they are "flagging problematic posts for Facebook" and "helping to get trusted content out there," and what could be wrong with that? ***
Except Huckleberry Finn, of course, but I think that goes without saying. https://t.co/L6rLPijExl
— TSB (@TweetingTSB) April 22, 2022
A boxer and a scholar? And don’t forget the abstract art tattooed to his face. Tyson has become quite the Renaissance Man. https://t.co/Ac0Jx9kvAx
— TSB (@TweetingTSB) April 23, 2022
At the current rate an Agent or Officer has been bitten every day this week (3/1-3/8) causing damage to attire or bruising/punctures to the skin.I can see where that would be a problem for the White House detail. Some of the bites were serious enough to require treatment by a White House doctor.
Panicking or running with [sic] only embolden animals so stand your ground and protect your hands/fingers by placing them in your pockets or behind your back.Well, what to do with the First Family's aggressive German Sheppards?
U.S. consulate staff in China help Marines running low on rations | Reuters https://t.co/K4jQLzemYE
— TSB (@TweetingTSB) April 10, 2022
The Marines only had vacuum-sealed rations left, the employee said in the message, seen by Reuters and verified by two people.I'm sure the MSGs will improvise, overcome, adapt. (Question: was that ever a Marine slogan before it was said in Heartbreak Ridge? I think not, but let it go.)
A former representative of Crossing DC who worked at the building since the start of Taherzadeh's lease confirmed that none of the units were being paid for at any time. When asked why they were not paying rent on the units, the individual responded with one word: 'Government'.Government?! Has that ever worked for you? I know it hasn't worked for me, but then, I admit I've never tried asking my mortgage holder if I could skip making payments because "Government."
A very weird news item that explains why a DC apartment building was raided yesterday. https://t.co/Sz2MEFV36m
— TSB (@TweetingTSB) April 7, 2022
[Arian] Taherzadeh and [Haider] Ali are accused of posing as members of a fake Department of Homeland Security taskforce investigating gang violence and the January 6 Capitol riots. The pair, whose nationalities have not been revealed, are said to have driven around in an official-looking SUV equipped with flashing lights.According to the WaPo (here) this genius scheme to do who-knows-what was foiled when the phony DHS agents voluntarily assisted a Postal Inspector who was investigating an assault on a mailman which they, eagled-eyed and on high alert as always for signs of terrorist activity, claimed to have witnessed.They are said to have successfully ingratiated themselves with Secret Service agents, who they supplied with rent-free luxury apartments, high-end electronics and policing equipment. Four members of the agency - including the first lady's bodyguard - have been placed on leave, with their identities not revealed.In one instance, Taherzadeh allegedly offered a member of First Lady Jill Biden's security detail with a $2,000 assault rifle. He and Ali also reportedly supplied a USSS agent with a penthouse apartment valued at more than $40,000 a year.It is unclear what they had hoped to gain from the ruse, and prosecutors say the investigation is ongoing, even as four members of the Secret Service - including the one from the first lady's security detail - have been placed on leave.
The [Postal] inspector learned the men were in contact with several members of the Secret Service and had provided gifts to them or their families and use of the SUV, the affidavit states. The document did not explain how the inspector learned about the gifts.Wow. Assuming the details being reported are true and even close to complete, there ought to be a lot of egg on a lot of federal law enforcement faces today.The inspector informed [the real] DHS, which then informed the FBI.
Would a legation offer an alternative in future situations — North Korea, Taliban Afghanistan come to mind — where the U.S. would want to establish more than an “interests section” housed within a foreign embassy, but less than full embassy status with an ambassador?Now, that (this, in the current Foreign Service Journal) is an exceptionally good idea.
Classical liberals haunt Twitter as White Γ©migrΓ©s once haunted Paris, calling for the restoration of a regime they proved incapable of defending. https://t.co/kUYQtPoTDv
— Hippokleides (@Hippokleides) February 11, 2022
FBI agents violated their own rules at least 747 times in 18 months while conducting investigations involving politicians, candidates, religious groups, the news media and others, according to a 2019 FBI audit obtained by The Washington Times.This
A GOP-backed ban on weed sales in Washington, D.C., was preserved in a sprawling government funding bill passed by Congress on Thursday, despite opposition from advocates who say the provision overrides the will of the District’s residents years after they voted to legalize marijuana.- snip -While District residents are allowed to grow and consume their own cannabis, they cannot buy or sell it under the Harris rider. Marijuana businesses use a loophole in the law to “gift” weed to customers while bundling it with another product or service, creating a gray market that D.C. cannot tax or regulate.
Misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation make up what CISA [Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency] defines as “information activities”. When this type of content is released by foreign actors, it can be referred to as foreign influence. Definitions for each are below.
- Misinformation is false, but not created or shared with the intention of causing harm.
- Disinformation is deliberately created to mislead, harm, or manipulate a person, social group, organization, or country.
What should our corps of trained professional info-cops do about the threat posed by Miss Dismal? Naturally, it should deploy comic books – yes, comic books – to counter the influence spread by any malign 'threat actor.'
- Malinformation is based on fact, but used out of context to mislead, harm, or manipulate.
Foreign and domestic threat actors use MDM campaigns to cause chaos, confusion, and division. These malign actors are seeking to interfere with and undermine our democratic institutions and national cohesiveness. The resources provided at the bottom of this page provide examples and more information about MDM activities.They're calling this comic book "Real Fake?” Really? I wonder who it was in DHS who greenlighted that term because it makes me recall the “fake but accurate” excuse that Dan Rather came up with after he was fired from CBS News for using forged documents to – come to think of it – influence an election.First in the series, Real Fake demonstrates how threat actors capitalize on political and social issues (especially around election cycles) to stealthily plant doubt in the minds of targeted audiences and steer their opinion.Readers follow protagonists Rachel and Andre as they discover that a command center in Russia is using a network of troll farms to spread false narratives about elections to American voters. With the elections coming up, Rachel and Andre follow the trail of synthetic media and stop the cyber assailants from causing chaos, confusion, and division.
The panel, which included both government scientists and outside experts, did not try to determine who was responsible for the incidents, and officials said the conclusions did not contradict interim findings by the C.I.A. that unexplained incidents were not the result of a sustained global campaign by Russia or another adversary.You can read that panel's report in a redacted version here.But there are tensions between the panel’s work and the C.I.A.’s conclusions. The panel’s findings could bolster the arguments of victims and lawmakers who believe a hostile foreign nation could have caused at least some of the injuries associated with Havana syndrome, perhaps by using a listening device.
The panel was moved by the experiences of individuals affected by AHIs. They deserve the best possible care, as well as appreciation for their sacrifices. Panelists were also greatly impressed with the many members of the IC and broader US Government with whom they engaged. The panel feels fortunate to have supported their work.
A hearing was scheduled for Westminster Magistrates' Court on 18 January, but the CPS said this had been "vacated".A spokesman for the CPS said: "This is to enable ongoing discussions between the CPS and Anne Sacoolas's legal representatives to continue."Last month, Mrs Sacoolas's lawyers denied she would attend a court appearance via video link and said no such agreement had been made.
On Moves to Modernize: An Interview with Secretary of State Antony Blinken https://t.co/PJcHHMpKTk
— TSB (@TweetingTSB) January 15, 2022
FSJ: You said in the speech at FSI that you will seek authorities and policies that allow diplomats to manage risk more effectively and smartly. Can you tell us more about this new risk management platform and how it will be implemented?Good on you, SecState Blinken. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that you can persuade Congress to acknowledge the reality that this is, unavoidably, a world of risk.Secretary Blinken: My first responsibility is to ensure the safety of our people and their families in the field. From the COVID-19 pandemic to anomalous health incidents, the risks facing U.S. diplomats overseas are as significant and complex as ever.But we must find ways to address these threats and risks without losing the in-person diplomacy and public engagement that are at the core of our profession. That’s a message I’ve heard loud and clear from every part of our workforce, everywhere I’ve traveled, including at our highest-risk posts.Over the last 20 years, we’ve moved many U.S. embassies, consulates and American Centers out of city centers and into more hardened facilities where they’re less accessible to the people they were created to reach. In some cases, there were good reasons for those moves. But there have also been some unintended consequences. It’s become immensely difficult to open new posts, even in low-threat environments; and it’s harder than it should be to adjust our presence to respond to crises and opportunities. Last year, China surpassed the United States in total number of diplomatic and consular posts. We make it harder to outcompete China when we are so hindered in how and where we can operate. We’ve got to fix that.As our diplomats know, a world of zero risk is not a world in which we can deliver for the American people. We have to accept risk and manage it smartly. One way to do that is by working with Congress to update the legislation that governs our physical security requirements overseas and reforming the Accountability Review Board process. Here, too, there is bipartisan support to update our mindset and operations, focusing more on lessons learned and less on individual culpability when it comes to security incidents.So I’m optimistic that we’ll be able to make some commonsense changes that will strengthen our diplomacy while continuing to keep our people safe.