Compiled Research on Disinformation, Influence Operations, and Fake News

This is an annotated collection of papers, articles, commentaries, op-eds, and other writing by researchers from our Cyber Homeland Defence team at CENS (Centre of Excellence for National Security), a policy research think tank in RSIS (S Rajaratnam School of International Studies), NTU (Nanyang Technological University) in Singapore.

Articles and Policy Reports

  1. Fake News: National Security in the Post-Truth Era By Norman Vasu, Benjamin Ang, Terri-Anne Teo, Shashi Jayakumar, Muhammad Faizal Bin Abdul Rahman, Juhi Ahuja. This report discusses fake news with regard to the ways that it may manifest, how its dissemination is enabled through social media and search engines, how people are cognitively predisposed to imbibing it, and what are the various responses internationally that have been implemented or are being considered to counter it. This report finds that efforts to counter fake news must comprise both legislative and non-legislative approaches as each has its own challenges. https://www.rsis.edu.sg/rsis-publication/cens/fake-news-national-security-in-the-post-truth-era/
  2. Countering Fake News: A Survey of Recent Global Initiatives. By Gulizar Haciyakupoglu, Jennifer Yang Hui, , Dymples Leong, Muhammad Faizal Bin Abdul Rahman. Governments worldwide are taking various steps to counter the scourge of fake news, which may be driven by different motivations, but most onerous are those that serve as a tool for disinformation; i.e. to undermine national security. Key among these steps is the introduction of new legislation. Going forward, a multi-pronged strategy that comprises both legislation and non-legislative measures — given that each have their challenges — would form a more sustainable bulwark against fake news. https://www.rsis.edu.sg/rsis-publication/cens/countering-fake-news-a-survey-of-recent-global-initiatives/
  3. Social Media and Trust during the Gezi Protests in Turkey. By Gulizar Haciyakupoglu, Weiyu Zhang. The Gezi Protests, an environmental sit‐in that turned into a social movement in Turkey, is often compared to the Arab Spring and the Occupy movement with regard to the importance attributed to social media. This paper examines the role that social media played during the protests, with an emphasis on how trust was built and maintained among the protestors. In‐depth interviews with 21 active Gezi protestors revealed that social trust and system trust were intertwined in actual practices. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jcc4.12121

Written Submissions to the Singapore Parliament Select Committee on Deliberate Online Falsehoods

  1. Dr Shashi Jayakumar, Senior Fellow, Head CENS http://www.parliament.gov.sg/docs/default-source/sconlinefalsehoods/written-representation-59.pdf (summary of oral testimony at http://www.parliament.gov.sg/docs/default-source/sconlinefalsehoods/summary-of-evidence---15-march-2018-(public-hearing).pdf )
  2. Dr Norman Vasu, Senior Fellow, Dy Head CENS http://www.parliament.gov.sg/docs/default-source/sconlinefalsehoods/written-representation-63.pdf (summary of oral testimony at http://www.parliament.gov.sg/docs/default-source/sconlinefalsehoods/summary-of-evidence---28-march-2018-(public-hearing).pdf )
  3. Benjamin Ang, Senior Fellow, Cyber and Homeland Defence, CENS http://www.parliament.gov.sg/docs/default-source/sconlinefalsehoods/written-representation-135.pdf (summary of oral testimony at http://www.parliament.gov.sg/docs/default-source/sconlinefalsehoods/summary---27-march-2018-(as-at-6-april).pdf?sfvrsn=2 )
  4. Jennifer Yang, Associate Research Fellow, CENS http://www.parliament.gov.sg/docs/default-source/sconlinefalsehoods/written-representation-82.pdf (summary of oral testimony at http://www.parliament.gov.sg/docs/default-source/sconlinefalsehoods/summary---22-march-2018-(updated).pdf )
  5. Assistant Professor Michael Raska, RSIS http://www.parliament.gov.sg/docs/default-source/sconlinefalsehoods/written-representation-97.pdf
  6. To watch a compilation of the video recordings of CENS’s researchers contributions to the proceedings, news reports, and other materials, click here https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/cens-submissions-select-committee-deliberate-online-falsehoods-ang/

Commentaries and Op-Eds

  1. Germany’s NetzDG: Template for Dealing with Fake News? Shashi Jayakumar. “The German Netzwerkdurchsetzungsgesetz, also known as the NetzDG or Network Enforcement Act (NEA), came into effect last October, with actual enforcement commencing in January 2018. Is this the Fake News silver bullet that Singapore and other nations should be considering?” https://www.rsis.edu.sg/rsis-publication/cens/co18041-germanys-netzdg-template-for-dealing-with-fake-news
  2. Disinformation: Slow Burn Menace. Shashi Jayakumar. “Should state-sponsored disinformation campaigns be ranked as a national security threat on par with terror or cyber threats? How can the Singapore polity secure itself against such threats, and who should do what in the effort to shore up national resilience against this threat?” https://www.rsis.edu.sg/rsis-publication/cens/co17151-disinformation-slow-burn-menace
  3. “Disinformation : An old security threat made new”, Shashi Jayakumar. The Straits Times, August 8, 2017. Accessed September 14, 2017. http://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/a-slow-burn-menace-a-real-security-risk
  4. “Three issues to consider in drafting policies to tackle disinformation”, Benjamin Ang and Norman Vasu, Today, 28 Sept 2018. https://www.todayonline.com/commentary/three-issues-consider-drafting-policies-tackle-disinformation
  5. “Malaysia’s Elections and the Anti-Fake News Act”, Haciyakupoglu, G. The Diplomat, April26, 2018. https://thediplomat.com/2018/04/malaysias-elections-and-the-anti-fake-news-act/
  6. Muhammad Faizal Bin Abdul Rahman, “Critical Thinking, A Needed Nutrition to Resist the Virus of Falsehoods”, Channel News Asia, September, 29, 2018. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/commentary/commentary-critical-thinking-a-needed-nutrition-to-resist-the-10766424
  7. ‘Embracing Technology to Boost National Security’, Norman Vasu and Benjamin Ang, Today, 22 December 2016. https://www.todayonline.com/technology-0/embracing-technology-boost-national-security
  8. Clickbait: Fake News and Role of the State — Tan E Guang Eugene, Benjamin Ang. https://www.rsis.edu.sg/rsis-publication/cens/co17026-clickbait-fake-news-and-role-of-the-state

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