Features

Analysis of "Act.IL," a smartphone app intended to crowdsource digital influence operations. This represents the future of information warfare. (DFRLab/Atlantic Council)

Social media has altered the nature of war. The viral propaganda of the self-declared Islamic State, Russian disinformation campaigns, and Chinese cyber-nationalism are all indications of a more fundamental shift in conflict—a revolution that threatens to catch U.S. policymakers and social media companies off guard. With P.W. Singer. (The Atlantic)

Feature article detailing the online operations of the Islamic State and the diverse set of actors who seek to stop them. Also explores the nature of effective viral propaganda and the exploitation of communication platforms by terror groups through history. With P.W. Singer. (Popular Science)

Feature investigation of the colorful coalition of hacktivists, many former members of Anonymous, who have pooled their resources to drive the Islamic State off the internet. (Foreign Policy)

Discussion of World War I's Gallipoli campaign, the first significant amphibious operation in history and arguably the lowest point of the Entente's war effort. Assesses strategic, operational, and tactical failures on the part of British war planners. The only way to "win" at Gallipoli would have been to avoid attacking in the first place. (Defense in Depth, Council on Foreign Relations)

Given the Islamic State's strategically significant use of social media for recruiting and messaging, any comprehensive plan to defeat the terror network must also neutralize its online presence. Proposal for the creation of a bounty system that would pay hacktivists in anonymized Bitcoin to flag ISIS social media accounts and disrupt its websites. (ForeignPolicy.com)

Examination of the employment and implications of Islamic State (IS) propaganda, conveyed largely via social media. IS has emerged as one of the most effective propagandists of the twenty-first century. (Defense in Depth, Council on Foreign Relations)

Reflection on August 7, 1914 and World War I’s Battle of the Frontiers. This battle marked the dawn of industrial warfare. It would take Western militaries many costly years to adapt. (Defense in Depth, Council on Foreign Relations)