RAND Recommends New Methods for Combating Disinformation

There is much work being done worldwide to combat misinformation and other malignant information campaigns, and effective research must go beyond simply identifying small components of much larger subversive efforts. The time it takes to uncover and stop fake news or compromised accounts requires a more robust methodology.  

In response, RAND Corporation’s new report, “Detecting Malign or Subversive Information Efforts Over Social Media - Scalable Analytics for Early Warning,” authored by RAND researchers William Marcellino, Krystyna Marcinek, Stephanie Pezard and Miriam Matthews, provides recommendations in response to three key questions:

1. What evidence currently exists regarding malign or subversive information campaigns on social media?
2. What analytic methods can be used to detect such campaigns on social media?
3. How could such methods be of use to the U.S. government, other researchers, and social media companies in the future?

The crux of the publication is a novel methodology the authors created to inductively identify large-scale subversive social media campaigns. The method adapts existing network and text-analysis strategies for more robust applications toward combating disinformation. To evidence the efficacy of this method, the authors showcase their work analyzing Russian information efforts regarding the 2018 World Cup.

To read the full synopsis or purchase the report, click here.