Operation Earnest Voice
Source: (
https://bit.ly/3CkhmAy)
In August of 2013, the report Smart Power and U.S. National Strategy
from the Joint Special Operations University, stated the following
about Operation Earnest Voice:
A recently disclosed U.S. classified operation seeks to develop
software that allows the use of fake online identities or "sock
puppets" to influence Internet conversations and spread strategic
communications. According to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM)
spokesman Navy Commander Bill Speaks, "The technology supports
classified blogging activities on foreign language websites to enable
CENTCOM to counter violent extremist and enemy propaganda outside
the U.S. When completed, the software would allow the U.S. to
"respond to emerging online conversations with any number of
coordinated messages, blogposts, chatroom posts and other
interventions." According to the statement, the original operation
had been revealed in 2010 during oversight testimony by General
Petraeus, then commander of CENTCOM, before the U.S. Senate
Armed Services Committee. It was part of a vital CT and
counter-radicalization program called Operation Earnest Voice (OEV),
a psychological operations program to counter the al-Qaeda online
narrative presence. In testimony before the Senate committee, General
James Mattis, then CENTCOM commander, further explained that
OEV sought "to disrupt recruitment and training of suicide bombers;
deny safe havens for our adversaries; and counter extremist
ideology." What remains undisclosed is what metrics are used
to establish success or failure in these operations. As the existence
of this type of sensitive technology and its intended uses go viral,
it will amount to an invitation to our adversaries and rivals to
engage in similar uses, and/or adopt countermeasures, with unknown
future consequences for us and the world at large.
Credit to The Guardian (
https://bit.ly/3CeY140) for breaking the
story about the operation in 2011.
The Black Vault requested information from CENTCOM regarding
Operation Earnest Voice, and was informed that 100% of the
information was classified in 2013. That denial
(
https://bit.ly/3Ied2qt) is archived below for reference purposes,
and stated that 13 pages were being withheld.
In 2018, a Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) request was
filed by The Black Vault to get the 13 responsive pages that were
originally denied, reviewed and released to the public.
It would take until December of 2022 for the records to be partially
released. That release is below.
