Canadian military saw pandemic as opportunity to test propaganda techniques • Hacker News Board

Re: Canadian military saw pandemic as opportunity to test propaganda techniques

#51

Post by howaboutnope » Tue, Sep 28, 2021, 2:14 AM UTC

throwaway0a5e wrote: post #39

elzbardico wrote: post #14

> The federal government never asked for the so-called information operations campaign, nor did cabinet authorize the initiative Plausible deniability. So, yes, sure, the generals decided to do this putting their careers at risk if/when discovered. And when the civilian government found this out, where was the indignant outrage that we could expect for what was clearly military insubordination?

Not even "plausible deniability". They don't even need to ask for these things off the record because the generals are not idiots. They know what their bosses want well enough that nobody need ask. You see this behavior all throughout government.

"anticipatory obedience"

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vorauseilender_Gehorsam

Sadly the article only exists in German because, well, the most well known example of it is how people acted under Hitler.

Re: Canadian military saw pandemic as opportunity to test propaganda techniques

#52

Post by na85 » Tue, Sep 28, 2021, 2:27 AM UTC

elzbardico wrote: post #14

> The federal government never asked for the so-called information operations campaign, nor did cabinet authorize the initiative Plausible deniability. So, yes, sure, the generals decided to do this putting their careers at risk if/when discovered. And when the civilian government found this out, where was the indignant outrage that we could expect for what was clearly military insubordination?

It doesn't work like that here. Our PM is not the commander in chief.

Re: Canadian military saw pandemic as opportunity to test propaganda techniques

#53

Post by zeckalpha » Tue, Sep 28, 2021, 2:28 AM UTC

jes wrote: post #11

In universities it’s usually necessary to submit a proposal to an Institutional Review Board (IRB) and get approval before experimenting on human subjects.

Unless you think you’re exempt!

Re: Canadian military saw pandemic as opportunity to test propaganda techniques

#54

Post by __turbobrew__ » Tue, Sep 28, 2021, 2:32 AM UTC

jl2718 wrote: post #16

“Included among those tactics … criticize on social media those who raised questions about military spending and accountability.”

Canada’s involvement in the F-35 program was wasteful.

Come at me CAF astroturfers

Re: Canadian military saw pandemic as opportunity to test propaganda techniques

#55

Post by archsurface » Tue, Sep 28, 2021, 2:39 AM UTC

If the UK hasn't been doing the same thing I'll eat my hat.

Re: Canadian military saw pandemic as opportunity to test propaganda techniques

#56

Post by Goety » Tue, Sep 28, 2021, 2:45 AM UTC

chuckee wrote: post #4

> A military investigation determined what the Canadian Forces public affairs leadership was doing was “incompatible with Government of Canada Communications Policy (and the) mission and principles of Public Affairs.” I would hope that deploying the military against your own citizens is against more than just an executive branch policy that can be changed at any moment.

>I would hope that deploying the military against your own citizens is against more than just an executive branch policy that can be changed at any moment.

That's not reality

Re: Canadian military saw pandemic as opportunity to test propaganda techniques

#57

Post by barry-cotter » Tue, Sep 28, 2021, 2:50 AM UTC

na85 wrote: post #52

elzbardico wrote: post #14

> The federal government never asked for the so-called information operations campaign, nor did cabinet authorize the initiative Plausible deniability. So, yes, sure, the generals decided to do this putting their careers at risk if/when discovered. And when the civilian government found this out, where was the indignant outrage that we could expect for what was clearly military insubordination?

It doesn't work like that here. Our PM is not the commander in chief.

If the head of the Executive and Legislature is not in charge of the government who is? The Governor-General may officially be the Executive but that's a rubber stamp, not an effective constraint on the power of the Prime Minister. Reality and legal forms are not the same thing.

Re: Canadian military saw pandemic as opportunity to test propaganda techniques

#58

Post by busymom0 » Tue, Sep 28, 2021, 3:03 AM UTC

arcticbull wrote: post #34

etimberg wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The war measures act was repealed in 1988

Indeed, it was replaced with the Emergenices Act as I mentioned. In fact Justin Trudeau considered invoking it for the first time since the replacement in the COVID situation. [edit] Between that and the Notwithstanding Clause [1] there's a lot of latitude here. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Section_33_of_the_Canadian_Cha...

Just want to mention that notwithstanding clause doesn’t apply to mobility rights for what it’s worth. Section 1 of the charter also allows a lot of latitude.

Re: Canadian military saw pandemic as opportunity to test propaganda techniques

#59

Post by salawat » Tue, Sep 28, 2021, 3:18 AM UTC

howaboutnope wrote: post #51

throwaway0a5e wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not even "plausible deniability". They don't even need to ask for these things off the record because the generals are not idiots. They know what their bosses want well enough that nobody need ask. You see this behavior all throughout government.

"anticipatory obedience" https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vorauseilender_Gehorsam Sadly the article only exists in German because, well, the most well known example of it is how people acted under Hitler.

This is, in fact, a very obvious and well known facet of management technique in the white collar world. Often, when faced with a hard or completely distasteful call, it's possible to structure your communication on a way that you never actually tell anyone to do the thing, but it gets done anyway.

It is a cornerstone that marks the difference between an exec who can and an exec who cannot CYA.

This is also why "Can I get that in writing", or asking something outright in an email is a fantastic way to corner a squirrely exec.

Re: Canadian military saw pandemic as opportunity to test propaganda techniques

#60

Post by fidesomnes » Tue, Sep 28, 2021, 3:20 AM UTC

RugnirViking wrote: post #42

djmips wrote: post #17

What's the difference between propaganda and good PR?

Whats the difference between a regime and a government? One word for people we like doing a thing, one word for people we don't

one the cia likes, the other cia doesn't like. all you have to do is see what the blue checkmarks on twatter like and compare to what they dislike to find the official cia consensus.