Clint Watts

A difficult book to read and it is filled with very valuable information and direct experiences of the author who has dealt with terrorists. I learned a lot about how the impact of social media affects all of us and how it is used to recruit and sustain terrorist operations. We are all subject to the manipulation if we use social media at all. Government has a big role to fill here in keeping our data private to us and to not be used for financial or political gain. The social media companies cannot manage themselves in the area, as it is the fox guarding the chicken coop.… (lisätietoja)

Messing with the Enemy is by a counter-terrorism expert who after 9/11 began chatting online with Islamic terrorists and the blogging about it (turns out terrorists are egotistical and like to brag and talk). He wrote papers about it and has become sought after by the federal government for his insights and experiences. He was also one of the first to notice the Russian bot campaign before anyone thought Trump might be "Kompromat". The book is more interesting with current events in the later third, concerning Russian techniques of "Active Measures". The Internet has become a powerful way for previously weak nations to exert tremendous influence and control over other countries - technological asymmetry. It would be naive to ignore it as a few extremists or 'fat guys in the basement', it's now standard statecraft. The subtlety and deviousness is both frightening and maddening. The best defense is awareness and knowledge, which Watts assuredly provides. And fighting back - by messing with the enemy.… (lisätietoja)

Clint Watts is my new hero. He has a long history serving our country and along the way has become an expert in cyber warfare. In this book he describes how al-Qaeda and other groups used social media to recruit followers and implement their plans, as well as how such usage made them more vulnerable to outside forces. Watts also examines Russian interference in the 2016 election and how he tried to warn people in advance of these efforts. This is an insightful look at social media is being used by hackers, terrorists and Russians to create "fake news" that people will believe and cause major rifts in our society as well as elect pro-Russian candidates who in turn will help Russia further her efforts in destroying democratic nations "from the inside out." Watts of course, is not taking it, and is fighting back in numerous ways, one being educating the pubic through the media and this book about how to avoid being a "useful idiot" for those who wish us harm. This is a must read for all who care about maintaining our country as the land of the free.… (lisätietoja)