A secret cyberwar research program, amounting to millions of pounds, which includes the exploitation of emerging technologies such as social media combined with psychological techniques for influencing public beliefs, develops the British Defense Ministry, according to a report Guardian.
As stated in the publication, within the framework of this program, research is being carried out on areas such as the role of online avatars, psychological theories and the influence exerted by the sharing of "live" video, which are funded by the Ministry of Defense in cooperation with defense industry companies, academics, marketing experts and think tanks.
In the British newspaper's perception, a list of operators has been assigned to such research programs with titles such as "Understanding Online Avatars","Cognitive and Behavior Concepts of Cyber Activities" and "Novel Techniques for Public Sentiment and Perception Elicitation". Programs are assigned by a dedicated center (center of excellence) managed by the BAE Systems, which has received 20 million pounds funding from 2012, with plans for additional 10 million in the year.
The research objectives assigned by this center include studies on various themefrom alcohol consumption in the armed forces, to understanding the behavior of Internet users from different cultures, the influence of social networks such as ΤWitter and Facebook, and the psychological impact of increased online video usage on the Internet, on websites like YouTube. The "microscope" seems to be putting groups of young Internet users who are vulnerable to attempts to recruit them for terrorism purposes.
“The cyberneticwar of the future may have less to do with 'hacking' power grids and more to do with 'hacking' minds, by shaping the environment in which political debate takes place", says Dr. Tim Stevens, of Kings College London, who works on cyber warfare and strategy.
Source: RES, zougla.gr
