Unprotected Data: Review of Internet Enabled Psychological and Information Warfare

Since the last elections in the United States, France, and other nations, fake news has become a tool to manipulate voters. This creation of fake news creates a problem that ripples through an entire society creating division. However, the media has not scrutinized enough on data misuse. Daily it appears that there are breaches causing millions of users to have their personal information taken, exposed, and sold on the Dark Web in exchange of encrypted currencies. Recently, news has surfaced of major social media sites allowing emails to be read without user consent. These issues bring upon concern for the misuse of data and more importantly, how can this be used for information warfare and the exploitation of targeted groups through the use of the Internet. It is essential that organizations continuously review current data policies to ensure that they do not become victims of information warfare.