Disinformation & Influence Operations

What you'll learn
Identify key tactics used in disinformation and influence operations
Analyze deepfakes and synthetic media using available tools
Understand the psychological mechanisms behind manipulation
Evaluate the role of social media platforms in national security
Apply strategies to detect and counter foreign influence campaigns
Promote digital resilience in personal and professional contexts
Requirements
• No technical background is required. • Just bring your curiosity, your conscience, and your willingness to think deeply about the most urgent questions of our time.
Description
In an age where artificial intelligence can mimic voices, algorithms amplify outrage, and foreign actors target democratic processes with precision-tailored disinformation, understanding information warfare is no longer optional - it's essential.Welcome to Disinformation & Influence Operations: The Psychology of Modern Information Warfare, a rigorous and insightful course designed for professionals, students, journalists, policymakers, and concerned citizens who want to understand how perception is weaponized in the digital age.This course goes beyond headlines and hype. You'll explore the strategic mechanics of modern influence campaigns - from Russian troll farms and Chinese narrative engineering to deepfakes, bot networks, and AI-driven microtargeting. We examine real-world case studies, including election interference, hybrid warfare in Ukraine, and domestic polarization fueled by coordinated inauthentic behavior.You'll delve into the psychology behind manipulation: cognitive biases, emotional exploitation, and the power of confirmation bias in shaping belief. Learn how social media platforms' design fuels disinformation, and how state and non-state actors exploit human vulnerabilities at scale.But this isn't just about threats - it's about defense. You'll gain practical tools in media literacy, prebunking, content verification, and cognitive resilience. Discover how governments, tech platforms, and civil society are responding - and what you can do, personally and professionally, to strengthen truth and trust.No technical background is required. Just bring curiosity, critical thinking, and a commitment to informed citizenship.By the end of this course, you won't just recognize disinformation - you'll be equipped to resist it, respond to it, and help build a more resilient information ecosystem.Enroll now - and become a defender of reality.
Who this course is for
This course is benefifial to: • Cybersecurity professionals; • Journalists and media professionals; • Government and policy analysts; • Students in political science, communications, or security studies; • Social media managers and digital strategists; • General public interested in digital literacy and media manipulation.
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