Many of you will remember December 2010, when a Tunisian produce vendor set himself on fire and sparked what became known as the Arab Spring. The name stemmed from the ‘People’s Spring’ and ‘Prague Spring’ that described movements towards democracy, rather than the time of year per se. The... View Article
Mainstream media and social channels are awash with conversations and disagreements about misinformation and disinformation and what they are. The pandemic and Trump’s presidency have added considerable fuel to these debates. Definitions of disinformation and misinformation are easy to find. The important distinction between the two is the intent... View Article
By Mario Bekes During the Covid19 crisis, the typical workplace is no longer a company office, protected by technical, mechanical and physical security with access controls and an IT/cyber security manager physically sitting next to employees. In contrast, the workplace has become the kitchen table or spare room, with... View Article
By Mario Bekes Economic and industrial espionage come from a different base, but their activities are similar. (Button, 2020) in his article quoted definitions from Wagner’ (Wagner, E.R., 2011) to explain and distinguish the differences between economic and industrial espionage: • “Economic espionage refers to targeting or acquiring trade... View Article
“The life of spies is to know, not to be known” George Herbert A stolen recipe in ancient Greece led to one of the first cases of industrial espionage. This, and other historical precedents, are discussed in relation to contemporary industrial espionage by (Tarantola, A , 2020) who... View Article
Organisations need to act now and prepare for the growing prevalence of economic espionage in Australia and the damage it causes. To understand what we mean by economic espionage, the FBI (2021) describe it as, “foreign power-sponsored or coordinated intelligence activity” while ASIO (2021) define it as, “Espionage is the... View Article
We know advertisers and politicians try to persuade us to believe a certain viewpoint. The power of communication as a type of warfare is often undervalued. Influencing your ‘enemy’ is a key part of winning any battle. Being able to analyse misinformation has become a critical skill for armies, businesses... View Article
Corporations strive to be successful in their chosen markets. Trying to win the hearts and minds of consumers is a relentless, on-going battle that can be both costly and exhausting. Organisations can learn from military strategists and use information to develop successful economic strategies. There are plenty of examples from... View Article
The iconic image of the Man vs Tank taken on the morning of 5 June 1989 in Tiananmen Square, Beijing is cited as a major catalyst to the subsequent profound impacts of social media. This was an image that led to media organisations openly supporting a revolution by oppressed people.... View Article
“Separate to live, unite to fight” Napoleon Bonaparte 1769-1821 One glance at social media today will yield countless claims from people with purported privileged knowledge of, or control over, the silver bullet for success. Snake oil solutions though they may be, they are useful as demonstrative exemplars of broader tendencies... View Article