Read the original article here.

---

Understanding Black Propaganda: A Tool of Digital Manipulation

In an age saturated with digital information, understanding how data and technology are used to influence and control is paramount. One potent historical technique that has found fertile ground in the digital landscape is black propaganda. Unlike overt messaging, black propaganda operates in the shadows, manipulating perceptions by concealing or faking its origin.

What is Black Propaganda?

Black propaganda is a form of communication designed to deceive its audience about its true source. Its primary goal is to discredit, vilify, or manipulate a target audience into believing information that appears to come from someone other than the actual creators. This deception about the source is its defining characteristic.

Black Propaganda: Propaganda that is deliberately attributed to a false source or is presented as originating from within the target audience or enemy group it intends to discredit. The true source is hidden, and the content often contains lies, fabrications, and deceptions.

This stands in contrast to other forms:

• White Propaganda: The source is clearly identified, and the information is generally accurate, although it is presented in a way that favors the source's perspective.
• Gray Propaganda: The source is not identified, or its authenticity is questionable, but the content itself may contain both truth and falsehoods.

The power of black propaganda lies in the audience's lack of awareness that they are being influenced by an external, often hostile, entity. If the recipient believes the information comes from a credible or familiar source (even if that source is fabricated), they are more likely to accept its message, regardless of its veracity. Its effectiveness hinges on the creators' understanding of the target audience's beliefs, biases, and vulnerabilities, allowing them to craft messages that resonate and are perceived as believable.

Why is Black Propaganda Used?

Governments and other actors employ black propaganda for several strategic reasons:

1. Increased Credibility with Skeptical Audiences: By making the message appear to come from a trusted or internal source, it can bypass the skepticism the audience might have towards an overt message from a known adversary.
2. Diplomatic and Political Cover: It allows an entity (like a government) to conduct activities that might be damaging to its foreign policies or domestic image without being directly associated with them.
3. Discrediting Opponents: By presenting information (often false) as if it originates from the opponent themselves or their allies, it can be used to sow distrust and undermine their authority or message.
4. Inciting Action or Dissent: Fabricated messages appearing to come from within a target group can be used to provoke internal conflict, encourage specific behaviors (like protest or defection), or create chaos.

Historical Precedents: Early Forms of Black Propaganda

While digital platforms have amplified its reach, black propaganda is not a new phenomenon. Understanding historical examples helps illustrate the core techniques that are now being adapted for the digital age.

• American Revolution (18th Century): Benjamin Franklin famously created a fake supplement to a Boston newspaper. This supplement included fabricated letters detailing alleged atrocities by Native Americans (allied with the British) and harsh treatment of American prisoners by the British. Presented as genuine news, it aimed to inflame anti-British sentiment and galvanize support for the revolutionary cause. This is an early example of a forged document/publication used to spread disinformation, analogous to creating fake news sites or sharing fabricated documents online today.
• World War II (1939-1945): This era saw widespread use of black propaganda, particularly via radio.
  • British Efforts: The UK's Political Warfare Executive operated black radio stations pretending to be clandestine German broadcasts.
    • Gustav Siegfried Eins (GS1): This station purported to be a Nazi extremist group criticizing Hitler for being too 'soft'. The aim was to sow internal division by highlighting alleged corruption and scandals among Nazi officials, making the criticism sound like it came from within the regime itself.
    • Soldatensender Calais & Deutscher Kurzwellensender Atlantik: These stations imitated official German military radio stations, broadcasting music, sports scores, and even Hitler's speeches alongside subtle, demoralizing propaganda designed for German soldiers.
    • Radio Deutschland: Broadcast on a frequency near a real German station, this was designed to sound like a genuine German station but spread content aimed at undermining morale. Its success was such that even Joseph Goebbels, Germany's propaganda chief, commented on it.
  • German Efforts: German black propaganda often played on existing prejudices and fears.
    • Leaflets in Denmark (1944): Leaflets disguised as a Danish underground newspaper (Frihedsposten) were dropped, instructing Danes to accept occupation by "Russian or specially trained American Negro soldiers" during liberation. This aimed to exploit racist fears and anti-Communist sentiment, presenting these instructions as coming from the Danish resistance itself.
    • Workers' Challenge: A German radio station pretending to be a British communist station, encouraging British workers to strike against their "capitalist" bosses. This sought to exploit perceived class tensions and undermine the British war effort by making calls for disruption seem like they originated from within the British labor movement.
  • Pacific Theatre:
    • Japanese Leaflets in the Philippines: Leaflets designed to look like official American military communications were dropped. They warned American soldiers about venereal diseases from Filipino women, exploiting local hardship and attempting to turn the Filipino population against the American presence by portraying U.S. soldiers negatively.
    • Tanaka Memorial: A document widely used in American anti-Japanese propaganda, presented as a Japanese plan for world conquest. Most historians now believe it was a forgery, making its use (even by Allied powers) a form of leveraging potentially black propaganda to demonize the enemy.

These historical examples, using print, radio, and physical distribution, are direct ancestors of modern digital black propaganda campaigns that leverage fake websites, social media accounts, and targeted messaging.

Black Propaganda in the Cold War

The geopolitical tensions of the Cold War provided fertile ground for black propaganda and "active measures."

• Soviet "Active Measures": The KGB extensively used disinformation campaigns, including black propaganda, as part of their "active measures" (covert operations designed to influence world events). These operations often involved creating fake documents, funding front organizations, spreading rumors, and planting false stories in foreign media to discredit opponents, sow discord, and promote Soviet interests.
• British Cold War Campaigns: Declassified documents show the British government used secret black propaganda targeting regions like Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. This involved leaflets and reports from fake sources designed to destabilize adversaries, exploit racial tensions, and promote anti-communist views.
  • Indonesian Mass Killings (1965-66): A particularly dark example where British operatives in Singapore reportedly disseminated black propaganda blaming the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) and ethnic Chinese for a failed coup attempt. Posing as exiled Indonesian patriots, they spread fabricated calls for the "elimination" of PKI members and Sukarno followers, contributing to mass violence.
• United States Efforts:
  • "The Penkovsky Papers": A book presented as the memoirs of a Soviet GRU defector, Colonel Oleg Penkovsky, used by the CIA during the 1960s. While Penkovsky was real, the book was reportedly a CIA fabrication designed to diminish the Soviet Union's credibility.
  • Office of Strategic Influence (OSI): Briefly established after 9/11, the Pentagon's OSI considered using disinformation and covert activities ("black campaigns") alongside overt public relations. While its proposed "black" operations were controversial and led to its swift closure in 2002, its mere consideration highlights the potential governmental interest in such tactics. Messages were planned to be sent from masked email addresses (e.g., ending in .com instead of .mil) to hide U.S. government involvement – a clear example of source disguise.

Black Propaganda in Domestic Politics

The tactics of black propaganda are not confined to international conflict; they are also employed within countries to influence domestic political outcomes.

• Forged Documents and Flyers:
  • Roorback Forgery (US, 1844): A newspaper story, falsely attributed to a German tourist, claimed politician James K. Polk branded his slaves. Though the lie was uncovered, the tactic gave rise to the term "Roorback" for political dirty tricks.
  • Zinoviev Letter (UK, 1924): A forged letter, presented as from a Soviet official to British communists, was published just before an election. It called for revolutionary action and military dissent, aiming to hurt the Labour Party. While its ultimate impact is debated, it was treated as genuine at the time and influenced public discourse.
  • Australian Election Flyers (2007): Flyers falsely attributed to a fake "Islamic Australia Federation" thanked a political party for supporting terrorism, aiming to link the party to extremist views and scare voters.
  • Segretti/Muskie Letter (US, 1972): During a presidential primary, a fake letter on a candidate's letterhead was circulated, containing false accusations about another candidate's personal life. This "dirty trick" aimed to damage a frontrunner's reputation.
• Covert Government Programs:
  • COINTELPRO (US, Mid-20th Century): The FBI's counter-intelligence program used black propaganda tactics against various domestic groups deemed subversive (e.g., civil rights groups like the Black Panthers, anti-war movements, labor leaders). This included using anonymous letters, cartoons, and fabricated information to ridicule, disrupt, and discredit these groups and their leaders.

These domestic examples demonstrate the use of source disguise and fabricated content to manipulate public opinion and electoral processes, foreshadowing similar tactics seen in online political campaigns today.

Other Contexts: Religious and Environmental Black Propaganda

Black propaganda tactics can appear in various domains beyond statecraft and electoral politics.

• Religious Groups:
  • Church of Scientology: The book Brain-Washing, published by Scientology, was falsely attributed to a Soviet official. It portrayed common societal practices and professions (like psychiatry) as Communist conspiracies and presented Scientology as the only defense – essentially using a fabricated source to promote their ideology and demonize opposition. Scientology has also reportedly advocated "black propaganda" as part of its "fair game" policy against critics, including fabricating criminal acts and attributing them to opponents (as allegedly occurred against author Paulette Cooper).
• Activist Groups:
  • Greenpeace "Let's Go! Shell in the Arctic" Website: Greenpeace created a website designed to look like an official site from Royal Dutch Shell but contained content criticizing Shell's Arctic drilling plans. This is an example of using a fabricated source identity (mimicking the company) to deliver a message, albeit one aimed at corporate accountability rather than political or military goals.

These examples show that black propaganda tactics are versatile and can be adopted by various groups seeking to influence opinion and action by masking their true identity.

Black Propaganda in the Digital Age: Leveraging Data for Control

The rise of digital technologies and the vast amounts of data available have created an unprecedented environment for the deployment and amplification of black propaganda. The core principles remain the same – disguise the source, spread disinformation – but the tools and scale have transformed.

1. Enhanced Source Disguise: Creating fake online personas, social media accounts, websites, and even entire "news" outlets is easier and cheaper than ever before. VPNs, anonymous hosting, and sophisticated account networks (like bot farms) make tracing the true origin difficult.
2. Precision Targeting with Data: This is where the "Digital Manipulation: How They Use Data to Control You" aspect becomes critical. Data harvested from online activity (browsing history, social media interactions, purchase data, location data) allows propagandists to identify individuals and groups who are most susceptible to specific messages based on their interests, fears, political leanings, and demographic profile. Black propaganda can be tailored and delivered directly to vulnerable audiences, increasing its likelihood of success and making it harder to detect from the outside.
3. Rapid and Wide Dissemination: Social media platforms, messaging apps, and the speed of the internet allow black propaganda to spread globally within minutes, reaching millions before fact-checkers or authorities can respond.
4. Amplification via Algorithms and Bots: Digital platforms' algorithms prioritize engagement, which sensational or emotionally charged black propaganda often generates. Automated accounts (bots) can artificially boost the reach and perceived popularity of disinformation, making it appear more credible or widespread than it is.
5. New Forms of Deception: The digital age introduces sophisticated new tools like deepfakes (realistic but fabricated audio, video, or images) and synthetic media, making it possible to create highly convincing, yet entirely false, content attributed to real people or organizations.

Use Cases in the Digital Age:

• Election Interference: Creating fake social media accounts and groups posing as domestic political organizations to spread divisive or false information about candidates.
• Corporate Disinformation: Launching smear campaigns against competitors via fake review sites or anonymous online forums.
• State-Sponsored Influence Operations: Using networks of bots and fake news sites to promote geopolitical narratives, discredit opposing governments, or incite unrest in other countries.
• Targeted Smear Campaigns: Using personal data to identify individuals or groups and target them with specific, tailored disinformation spread through disguised online channels.

Techniques Employed in Digital Black Propaganda

Building on historical methods, modern digital black propaganda utilizes specific techniques:

• Astroturfing: Creating the illusion of widespread grassroots support or opposition by using fake online accounts or seemingly independent front groups to spread a message.
• Creation of Fake News Sites/Blogs: Designing websites that mimic legitimate news sources to publish fabricated stories.
• Social Media Impersonation: Creating profiles that imitate real people, organizations, or movements.
• Forged Digital Documents: Sharing fake emails, memos, or reports to discredit individuals or institutions.
• Weaponization of Data Leaks: Releasing obtained information (legitimately or through hacking) alongside fabricated content and false narratives, often through disguised channels.
• Deepfakes and Synthetic Media: Using AI to create believable fake audio or video of individuals saying or doing things they never did, attributing the content to that individual or a seemingly legitimate source.

Challenges in Detection and Mitigation

Combating digital black propaganda is difficult due to:

• The sheer volume and speed of online information.
• The sophisticated methods of source disguise used online.
• The targeted nature of delivery, making it hard for external observers to see the full scope of a campaign.
• The global, borderless nature of the internet.
• The challenge for platforms to moderate content at scale while respecting free speech.

Conclusion

Black propaganda, with its core tactic of source disguise and reliance on deception, is a persistent and evolving form of manipulation. While its historical roots lie in print, radio, and physical distribution, the digital age, fueled by data and advanced technology, has provided unprecedented power and reach. Understanding how black propaganda operates, recognizing its historical patterns, and being aware of its modern digital manifestations are crucial steps in navigating the complex information landscape and resisting attempts at control through deception. The ability to critically evaluate sources and information is more vital than ever.

---