When I wrote about cyberhate in my book Troll Hunting (2019), I wanted people to understand two important points. First, that trolls are rarely those stereotypical lonely guys, spitting out vitriol alone in their mothers’ basements. They’re more likely to be white-collar, professional types, working strategically in groups to silence or harm their victims, or drive them to self-harm. Second, that cyberhate doesn’t exist in some online bubble. Often it spills over into the “real world”, resulting in stalking, physical harm, and even terrorism. These insights were vital to convince governments and authorities that trolling has ‘real world’ consequences, has to be taken seriously and properly regulated.
Last month, when I attended a discussion between Australia’s Van Badham and Nina Jankowicz, an American disinformation expert, I was intrigued to learn that those who spread disinformation on the internet work similarly to trolls. The conversation was expertly hosted by politician, lawyer and author, Andrew Leigh as part of the Australian National University’s Meet the Author series.
Listen to the whole conversation here via the link above.
Both Nina and Van agreed it is imperative governments, authorities and the general public understand what is happening because this online “info war” is nothing less than an ideological war against democracy, undertaken by groups and with real world consequences.
Nina and Van’s discussion focused on the rise and impact of conspiracy theories and disinformation. Nina Jankowicz, author of How to Lose the Information War and How to Be a Woman Online, has worked as an adviser on disinformation for both the Ukrainian and American governments. Van Badham is a well-known Australian activist and writer whose book, QAnon and On exposed the conspiracy theories spread by a group which convinced thousands, possibly millions of people, that our governments have been compromised by a global cabal of paedophiles.
Van explained that conspiracy theories are the tools used to build communities and mobilize people, both online and in real life.
Van took a moment to explain the difference between “misinformation” and “disinformation”. Misinformation involves untruths spread by those who genuinely believe the veracity of what they’re posting – repeated without malign intent. Conversely, the aim of disinformation campaigns is to mobilize people towards believing things that are not true, and to act on claims that are not true.
Nina made it clear that disinformation campaigns are being waged with the clear intent to exploit fissures in society as a means of destabilizing democratically elected governments. Van added that what may appear to be “grassroots” movements are actually communities being assembled, “stoked, encouraged and provoked by organized pro-disinformation operations” aligned with the interests of authoritarian governments.
In Australia last year, both speakers were horrified to see the disinformation campaign built around The Voice referendum. Watching the public debate, Van saw precise targeting by sponsored groups like Advance Australia around a “No” case “absolutely saturated with disinformation.”
Van explained that the aim of the Voice disinformation campaign was to create uncertainty and confusion – noise – so that Australians would feel less confident about voting “Yes”. Those with a vested interest in derailing the Indigenous Voice to Parliament used a strategy famously described by Trumpist, Steve Bannon, as “flooding the zone with shit.”
Watching this all play out, Van thought to herself, “Oh my God! It’s here. It’s come to Australia!”
Now, she is seeing the same strategy being used in the debate about nuclear power stations in Australia.
Both Nina and Van agreed that artificial intelligence technology is increasingly being used to build sophisticated disinformation campaigns designed to mislead, confuse and agitate the public. The rise of AI has “turbo-charged” disinformation campaigns. For example, Nina said that tools like Chat-GPT have made it easier for Russian disinformation to appear as if it’s written by native English speakers.
Andrew Leigh, left, Nina Jankowicz, centre, and Van Badham, right, speaking in Canberra about disinformation. Picture: Ginger Gorman
In this country, Van has been tracking the debate over nuclear power stations and discovered “quite discernible patterns of AI generated content that is targeting susceptible groups within the electorate to soften them on the issue of nuclear messaging.”
Importantly, a more permissive social media environment, particularly on X (formerly Twitter) under the leadership of Elon Musk has made it easier for fake personas and disinformation to proliferate.
Democracies rely on public debate – it’s the way we decide what policies will most benefit our families, and society as a whole. This influences the way we vote. It’s perfectly reasonable for people to hold different views. But, when the well of information from which those views are formed is purposefully poisoned by foreign interests, the result is the kind of culture wars we now see driving a massive wedge in American society. Into this wedge step charismatic, authoritarian leaders who serve particular vested interests with voting blocs they have built through online disinformation campaigns.
Van explained that one of the reasons she and Nina were touring the country was to raise consciousness about the “clear and present” dangers of disinformation to Australian democracy.
Van warned we are all vulnerable to disinformation. She said, “I’ve been lured into disinformation. It’s not something to be ashamed of.” It’s easy to be manipulated especially when Australia’s online environment is largely unregulated.
She said, “I had the horror of my life seeing someone who I would have formerly considered a friend, sharing material that I knew was being produced by a Russian disinformation account.”
Both Nina and Van acknowledged that speaking out against these bad actors is likely to result in a torrent of online abuse that may well spill into the real world. The aim is to frighten and silence opponents.
Despite death threats, both have persisted, but they warn women, in particular, to learn and practice cyber-security measures and to step away from the computer or phone for a while if what’s happening online is affecting your mental health.
Regulation of fake accounts and disinformation by platforms such as X and Facebook is desirable, but there is considerable pushback because dissent and chaos drives “clicks”, and “clicks” drive profits. Raising consciousness about disinformation campaigns amongst friends and family is something we can all do to combat this assault on our democracy.
Working to heal the fissures – the open wounds which leave our societies vulnerable to attack – is another priority. Fact-check before you share information online. And all of us can exercise our democratic rights by contacting our local MP, demand they take the spread of disinformation seriously and pass legislation to control it. Recommend, perhaps, that they read Van Badham’s and Nina Jankowicz’s books – or send them a copy.
- Picture at top: Australia’s Van Badham and Nina Jankowicz speaking together at the ‘Something Digital’ conference in Brisbane. Picture: Supplied
Ginger Gorman is a fearless and multi award-winning social justice journalist and feminist. Ginger’s bestselling book, Troll Hunting,came out in 2019. Since then, she’s been in demand both nationally and globally as an expert on cyberhate and the real-life harm predator trolling can do. She's also the editor of BroadAgenda and gender editor at HerCanberra. Ginger hosts the popular "Seriously Social" podcast for the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia. Follow her on Twitter.
