Although it is a common assumption that the exposure in public view on Social Media, of the Armed Forces executives and the means they use should be avoided, so that information is not given to the enemy, there is also a strong counterargument: Which prompts users to publish audio-visual material believing that in this way they enhance the prestige of their country but also create doubt on the “opposing side”, while as a side profit comes their personal publicity and popularity.
The latter view is reinforced by the war in Ukraine and the unrelenting publication of audio-visual material by companies on both warring sides on every social media platform, especially on TikTok, which is very popular with the younger generation. Thus, parallel to the war on the front, its informational/psychological part is also carried out: with the aim of emotionally draining the enemy and misleading him, after the revival of the friends and of course the awareness of the international public opinion for or against an involved party.
Hidden data from “nothing”
A very interesting example of how information can be gathered even from the most “simple” post on social media, is given by the following post on Twitter. Where John McElhone shows how location and time information can be extracted from a photo, using online tools available to any user.
U.S. Air Force
@usairforce
Unveiled today, the B-21 Raider will be a dual-capable, penetrating-strike stealth bomber capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear munitions. The B-21 will form the backbone of the future Air Force bomber force consisting of B-21s and B-52s.(U.S. Air Force photo)
Read the full discussion at Twitter
So, he took a photo of the new US stealth bomber. B-21 Raider, which had been posted online and tried to use whatever elements were available, such as the stars appearing in the sky in the background. Through a rather impressive process that describes it step by step, he comes to the conclusion that the photo was taken on November 29, 2022, 1:30 in the morning, at the location of Air Force Plant 42, with coordinates 34.6399 – 118.0744!
The Role of OSINT in Modern Business
The use of information provided by open sources and used by the adversary is part of OSINT (Open Source INTelligence) operations. Main sources are the following:
- Media
- Internet
- Public government documents
- Publications by academics and experts in each field
- Commercial data available
“Grey Literature”, i.e. the data made public by entities that operate outside the traditional commercial-governmental and academic network and their distribution channels, e.g. a Non-Governmental Organization. As early as 1947, at the beginning of the “Cold War” between the West and the Eastern Bloc, we have a tangible record of the value of information coming from open sources, from the longest serving director of the CIA, Allen Welsh Dulles.
In his report to the Senate Armed Services Committee on April 25, 1947, he stated the following: “A proper analysis of the information obtainable from these open, regular, and public means would give us over 80 percent, I should appreciate, the information required to guide our national policy”. That 80% that Dulles mentions, came from very few media compared to today’s, since even television was in its embryonic stage of development, while the spread of information was slow.
Going back to today and the speed of information dissemination, we could claim that this percentage is potentially even greater, with the management of the huge amount of information and its classification based on importance being a thorny issue. As today one can (even an intelligence service) “drown” in the volume of diffused information.
The security issue that arises from the uncontrolled publication of audio-visual material on the Internet is thus understood, and in fact, many times, by those who are primarily at risk from such actions, that is, the personnel of the Armed Forces.
The fashion of TikTok
It has become a trend for its users to upload videos to the popular MKD, with activities of the Armed Forces, showing their strength and effectiveness, often in the form of an informal “bra de fer” with the armed forces of a rival country, e.g. between China and Taiwan. Many of these videos also have an “innocent” touch of humorous incidents, so that they have more appeal.
So in their effort to gain more visibility, users disclose information about their unit, their equipment level, manning or even more critical information about the accuracy of shots, the prevailing climate, the degree of discipline and generally valuable information about each opponent.
Ιn fact, this Chinese-owned tool has caused concern in the US about its operation and capabilities, which was officially expressed by the FBI, which believes that American citizens could be monitored by Beijing. And it was recently legislated to remove the app from cellphones used by federal agencies for national security reasons.
Rules start and apply from the top of the hierarchy
Clearly, the information security culture is something that needs to be cultivated at all levels and in some cases specifically enforced if there is no improvement. It is not possible to see videos and photos from exercises of the Armed Forces and it is not mandatory to alter the characteristics of the executives, especially those who serve in critical specialties, such as pilots, heads of formations, special operations, etc.
There should be a corresponding penal code for executives who carry out such actions and of course the appropriate ones for those serving their military service, for whom it is clearly easier to curtail such actions, with the universal ban on the use of smartphones and the granting of a simple mobile device phone of specific specifications from the service, to communicate with their relatives. After all, such a device today with a simple search on the internet starts as a cost from 13 euros!
At the same time, there should be comprehensive training of the media around the non-publication of sensitive information. It should be understood that any wrong action primarily endangers the lives of people serving in the Armed Forces.
In addition, assistance could be requested from public and private organizations specialized in the subject, as well as from countries that faced similar problems and managed to solve them. Initiatives of this kind, it is a given that in order to yield, they need a reasonable period of time, so that they become valuable knowledge for every citizen of the country.
