information warfare
Weaponized data campaigns
Information warfare is the use of information and communication technologies as weapons—to deceive, disrupt, or manipulate an adversary.
It encompasses propaganda, disinformation campaigns, cyberattacks on infrastructure, and psychological operations designed to shape public opinion or undermine enemy morale.
Russian information warfare targeted the 2016 election.
The term emerged from military contexts but now describes broader conflicts over narrative and truth in the digital age.
- propagandaBiased information for influence
- media manipulationDeliberate distortion of public information
- cyber espionageComputer-based intelligence gathering
- fake newsIntentionally deceptive media content
- narrative controlAuthority over storytelling direction
hearts and minds · counterintelligence · infowar · astroturfing · troll farms · false flag · hacking · deepfakes · social engineering · subversion · psychological operations · weaponized · leaks · cybersecurity · state actors · cyberattack · psyops · censorship
- propagandapropaganda, brainwashing, indoctrination, agitprop, fearmongering
- Cyber Warfarecyber attack, cyberattack, cyber operations, cyber war, hacking
- Cyberespionagespyware, intelligence gathering, state actors, covert operations, credential theft
- Cyberwarfarecyberattack, cyberwar, cyber attack, cyber weapons, cyberdefense
- military doctrinecombined arms, deterrence, total war, blitzkrieg, defense in depth
- online manipulationastroturfing, bots, bot farms, fake news, propaganda bots
information warfareconventional warfare
Armed conflict using standard military forces
shooting war · hot war · trench warfare · naval warfare · aerial bombardment
information warfaretruth-telling
Communicating only facts
civic education · public education · press freedom · civic discourse
information, informed, warfare, misinformation, uninformed, informative, informing, informs, informational