On March 11, the Research Institute for Democracy, Society, and Emerging Technology (DSET) invited Mr. Shun-Ching Yang, Lead of the Analysis Team at Doublethink Lab, to share countermeasures against foreign information manipulation. His talk covered analytical frameworks, real-world case studies, and mechanisms for information exchange.
Decoding the Core Framework of Information Manipulation
Mr. Yang introduced the “ABCDE Framework” developed by the European Union, which stands for Actor, Behavior, Content, Degree, and Effect. This framework centers on incidents of information manipulation, systematically documenting and evaluating the actors involved, their methods, the content being manipulated, the extent of dissemination, and the resulting impact. Through multiple case studies, Mr. Yang demonstrated how identically scripted short videos can rapidly spread through coordinated operations, ultimately shaping public discourse.
Analyzing Manipulative Techniques While Avoiding Censorship Concerns
Dr. Kai-Shen Huang, Director of DSET’s Democratic Governance Program, noted that the public often asks whether it’s possible to identify the manipulators or assess the extent of their influence. Mr. Yang explained that pinpointing the original source is difficult—at best, one can preliminarily identify coordinated attackers. As for measuring influence, although Doublethink Lab has used public opinion polls for evaluation, this method is costly and the causal relationship remains hard to establish. Mr. Yang emphasized that the current focus is on analyzing malicious manipulation tactics and raising the cost of such behavior through platform regulations, which can mitigate concerns around freedom of speech and censorship.
Learning from Cybersecurity: Creating an Information Exchange Mechanism
Mr. Yang likened the response to information manipulation to responding to cybersecurity incidents, stressing the need for an effective information-sharing mechanism. He introduced the STIX data format commonly used in cybersecurity, as well as OpenCTI servers for sharing intelligence, and suggested that similar technical infrastructures can be leveraged to build systems for countering information manipulation. In response to an audience question about how to vet information shared on OpenCTI, Mr. Yang explained that since OpenCTI is open-source, anyone can set up their own server—but the responsibility for verifying the information lies with the user. He concluded by stressing that addressing foreign information operations requires enhanced cooperation among governments, academia, and civil society to build robust mechanisms for information exchange and coordination.
At the conclusion of the event, Dr. Huang expressed appreciation for Mr. Yang’s participation and presented him with the latest report from DSET’s Democratic Governance Program. They also exchanged insights on the report’s findings.