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# Covert Contact 79: Propaganda, Influence, and Disruption
- URL: https://johnwlittle.com/propaganda-influence-and-disruption/
- Published: 2017-10-16T12:06:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-17T00:18:16.000Z
- Description: Andrew Trabulsi joins me to examine Russian influence operations, targeted political advertising, and the challenges of detecting propaganda and disrupting the networks that spread it.
- Author: John Little
- Tags: Covert Contact, Information Warfare, Intelligence, Technology, Social Media, Andrew Trabulsi, Fred Burton, Misinformation

[Andrew Trabulsi](https://twitter.com/andrewtrabulsi?ref=johnwlittle.com) joins me for an October 2017 conversation about propaganda, targeted advertising, and the investigation into Russian influence operations surrounding the 2016 U.S. election. We discuss what new disclosures are revealing and why the scale of the activity remains difficult to establish.

The tactics have a long history, but social media gives them reach and increasingly precise targeting. Their objectives can include creating division and disorder, with consequences that extend beyond the fortunes of a single candidate. We look at the growth of digital political advertising and the commercial incentives that make this a difficult problem for the platforms themselves.

Removing misleading content is only part of the challenge. Automated systems struggle with context, political disagreement complicates judgments about manipulation, and influence networks adapt when accounts disappear. We discuss lessons from disrupting ISIS networks, including the value of slowing operators down and raising their costs, while recognizing that propaganda campaigns present different problems of attribution and response.

The conversation also considers the pressure on political campaigns to adopt effective tools despite ethical reservations. Voluntary standards and greater transparency run into practical limits when activity comes from outside groups and consultants. Public education, independent monitoring, and warnings about questionable sources offer ways to expose manipulation, although polarization can make audiences less receptive.

As we look ahead to the 2018 elections, the central concern is how societies can respond to increasingly powerful tools for shaping public opinion. There is no single technical fix. The challenge involves the design of platforms, the incentives of those using them, and the ability of citizens and institutions to recognize and resist efforts to turn existing divisions against them.

Andrew is a strategy, technology, and intelligence consultant and co-editor of [Warlords, Inc.: Black Markets, Broken States, and the Rise of the Warlord Entrepreneur](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00N6PBC2G?btkr=1&ref=johnwlittle.com).

This episode includes another short recollection from Fred Burton. Fred is the former deputy chief of counterterrorism at the Diplomatic Security Service and the author of the best-selling memoir [GHOST: Confessions of a Counterterrorism Agent](https://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Confessions-Counterterrorism-Fred-Burton-ebook/dp/B00139VURE/ref=sr%5F1%5F1?ie=UTF8&qid=1509321671&sr=8-1&keywords=ghost+confessions+of+a+counterterrorism+agent&ref=johnwlittle.com). His other works include [Chasing Shadows: A Special Agent's Lifelong Hunt to Bring a Cold War Assassin to Justice](https://www.amazon.com/Chasing-Shadows-Special-Lifelong-Assassin/dp/0230620558/ref=asap%5Fbc?ie=UTF8&ref=johnwlittle.com) and [Under Fire: The Untold Story of the Attack in Benghazi](https://www.amazon.com/Under-Fire-Untold-Attack-Benghazi/dp/1250041104/ref=asap%5Fbc?ie=UTF8&ref=johnwlittle.com).