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The UK has the 77th Brigade for this: https://www.wired.co.uk/article/inside-the-77th-brigade-britains-information-warfare-military https://www.wired.co.uk/art

The UK has the 77th Brigade for this: https://www.wired.co.uk/article/inside-the-77th-brigade-britains-information-warfare-military https://www.wired.co.uk/article/inside-the-77th-brigade-brit... It has allegedly targeted Covid policy dissenters like Peter Hitchens.

stronglikedan 3y ago
I'm sure almost all countries do it at some scale or another, like the US government's manipulation of Twitter that was recently brought to light.
iudqnolq 3y ago
Your source is pre-covid. I did a cursory search into their Covid activities and found an expansive report based on an alleged whistleblower[1] and a narrower admission by the Secretary of State for Defense that they > [use] publicly available data, including material shared on social media platforms, to assess UK disinformation trends. It is not to be involved in regulating, policing or even reporting opinion that it may or may not agree with.[2] This is pretty damming, and makes me credit the whistleblower report more than I originally thought. Obviously it is inappropriate for the Army to target anyone on the basis of their political opinion. I will point out, however, that Peter Hitchens is a loon. He's said that it's "simply not possible" the UK lockdown could have caused the subsequent fall in deaths because it's generally accepted that short-term mortality from Covid occurs 4 weeks after infection, and thus the reduction in mortality must have come from a reduction in infection before the start of the lockdown. [3] He claims his 4 week number is "pretty much accepted". This is false, he had one non-peer reviewed cite. [4] Tangentially he also believes that the fall of the UK is imminent because of the permission of no-fault divorce. [5] [1]: https://bigbrotherwatch.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Ministry-of-Truth-Big-Brother-Watch-290123.pdf https://bigbrotherwatch.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Mi... [2]: https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2023-01-30/debates/F9CB0534-C804-4014-90C0-7B6809AA8B28/TopicalQuestions#contribution-60BDE873-B315-455E-B1C9-F19D75F0D8D5 https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2023-01-30/debates/F9C... [3]: https://youtu.be/UTpJmT1KQrc?t=153 https://youtu.be/UTpJmT1KQrc?t=153 [4]: https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/no-the-nhs-was-not-overrun-by-covid-during-lockdown/ https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/no-the-nhs-was-not-overr... [5]: https://www.thepinknews.com/2015/09/12/mail-columnist-peter-hitchens-regrets-opposing-same-sex-marriage/ https://www.thepinknews.com/2015/09/12/mail-columnist-peter-...
- denton-scratch 3y ago
  > Peter Hitchens is a loon Hitchens is certainly out there. But everybody knows that, and expects it. He's a controversialist, and whatever views you have, he'll have written a trenchant article denouncing at least a few of them.
  - iudqnolq 3y ago
    You say that as though it's a good thing. But you could just as well be describing a random number generator. (But to be explicit once again this does not at all justify using the military against him. But just because he's been wronged doesn't mean his ideas are worth anything)
    - denton-scratch 3y ago
      > You say that as though it's a good thing. But you could just as well be describing a random number generator. You're right; I was too elliptical and impersonal. In fact I disagree with nearly all of his opinions; but I enjoy reading his columns, because he's a good rhetorical writer, and because I enjoy him trying to defend the indefensible.

stronglikedan 3y ago

I'm sure almost all countries do it at some scale or another, like the US government's manipulation of Twitter that was recently brought to light.

iudqnolq 3y ago

Your source is pre-covid. I did a cursory search into their Covid activities and found an expansive report based on an alleged whistleblower[1] and a narrower admission by the Secretary of State for Defense that they > [use] publicly available data, including material shared on social media platforms, to assess UK disinformation trends. It is not to be involved in regulating, policing or even reporting opinion that it may or may not agree with.[2] This is pretty damming, and makes me credit the whistleblower report more than I originally thought. Obviously it is inappropriate for the Army to target anyone on the basis of their political opinion. I will point out, however, that Peter Hitchens is a loon. He's said that it's "simply not possible" the UK lockdown could have caused the subsequent fall in deaths because it's generally accepted that short-term mortality from Covid occurs 4 weeks after infection, and thus the reduction in mortality must have come from a reduction in infection before the start of the lockdown. [3] He claims his 4 week number is "pretty much accepted". This is false, he had one non-peer reviewed cite. [4] Tangentially he also believes that the fall of the UK is imminent because of the permission of no-fault divorce. [5] [1]: https://bigbrotherwatch.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Ministry-of-Truth-Big-Brother-Watch-290123.pdf https://bigbrotherwatch.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Mi... [2]: https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2023-01-30/debates/F9CB0534-C804-4014-90C0-7B6809AA8B28/TopicalQuestions#contribution-60BDE873-B315-455E-B1C9-F19D75F0D8D5 https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2023-01-30/debates/F9C... [3]: https://youtu.be/UTpJmT1KQrc?t=153 https://youtu.be/UTpJmT1KQrc?t=153 [4]: https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/no-the-nhs-was-not-overrun-by-covid-during-lockdown/ https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/no-the-nhs-was-not-overr... [5]: https://www.thepinknews.com/2015/09/12/mail-columnist-peter-hitchens-regrets-opposing-same-sex-marriage/ https://www.thepinknews.com/2015/09/12/mail-columnist-peter-...

denton-scratch 3y ago
> Peter Hitchens is a loon Hitchens is certainly out there. But everybody knows that, and expects it. He's a controversialist, and whatever views you have, he'll have written a trenchant article denouncing at least a few of them.
- iudqnolq 3y ago
  You say that as though it's a good thing. But you could just as well be describing a random number generator. (But to be explicit once again this does not at all justify using the military against him. But just because he's been wronged doesn't mean his ideas are worth anything)
  - denton-scratch 3y ago
    > You say that as though it's a good thing. But you could just as well be describing a random number generator. You're right; I was too elliptical and impersonal. In fact I disagree with nearly all of his opinions; but I enjoy reading his columns, because he's a good rhetorical writer, and because I enjoy him trying to defend the indefensible.