Cyber-enabled information operations that exploit social media to shape narratives and societal perception vex Western democracies which have long treated the free flow of information as a virtue. Despite these tensions, Western democracies have sought to adapt their cyber forces both to counter and to manipulate social media and other information operations as an offensive weapon. This article evaluates how these democracies thus far have responded to information operations with a focus on offensive information and cyber operations. The article analyzes three topics relevant to the future of democracies and cyber-enabled information operations. First, is an explanation as to why Western democracies failed to anticipate the threat of cyber-enabled information operations. Second, the article catalogs and compares how four major Western democracies have responded to information operations—US, UK, France, and Germany. The final section evaluates whether and how democracies should practice offensive cyber-enabled information operations, and why, in the end, the article concludes that democracies should avoid offensive cyber-enabled information operations because they pose three tensions that undermine democracy: Internet fragmentation, violations of democratic norms, and blowback.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE