The war of information , alias infoguerre (in English infowar or information warfare ), is the whole of the methods and actions aiming inflicting a Dommage with a rival or at guaranteeing a superiority by the acquisition of information (Donnée S or Connaissance S), by the degradation of the systems of acquisition of information of the adversary or by methods of Influence and propagation of messages favorable to its strategic intentions.

Multidisciplinary vocabulary

Guerre of information is a term of the vocabulary Militaire (especially Anglo-Saxon) and economic Intelligence or technologies information and communication.

According to the context, it as well indicates actions of influence on the Opinion or an arbitrary form of sabotage of the image or Institution S, by means of Stratégie S of Communication, of Recherche of information legal or illegal (industrial Espionnage), and of imposition of Norme S in the field of the Data processing.

The infoguerre is practiced on a plate of Télévision, with Internet, satellite , Logiciel S. It is not only carried out by Hackers or “spins doctors” (manipulators of the opinion). Lawyers, soldiers, engineers and researchers take share there also.

Covered fields

The concept of war of information is valid at the same time in time of war and times of peace.

In time of war, the concept recovers all the methods aiming to supervise, paralyze or dissuade an adversary (for example by destroying its systems of transmission or by taking the control of its data-processing networks).

In times of peace, this concept is more general:

• attempts to establish a Hegemony on the networks of Knowledge S (Undertaken S, University S, Universities, Centers of studies and research) by playing on Standard S Macroeconomic S of evaluation of the immaterial Capital (see IAS/IFRS), or on the Standard S in general (in Data-processing and Telecommunication in particular);

• the use of the Right to influence the international economy, by putting in work rules on the international contracts, and by using the legal faults of the adversary (see international Chamber of commerce);

• the use of inspection networks of the world exchanges of information (see Level);

• the policies of Influence who are exerted through Réseaux of Recipients of Entreprises wide (Governmental organizations), by using in support the open Sources, then by controlling the Perception S and initiatives;

• drifts of the saving in Gone: extension of the Competition to activities of destabilization, even of aggression of the competitors, for example exploiting the weak points of the adversary systematically, and to detect its strong points (Search for information by legal means, or in extreme cases of the illegality: Espionage), by creating a Rumor being able to discredit a Undertaken; the financial performance evaluation through the directed countable standards shareholders;

• strategies of Communication, especially the Communication of mass or using the Networks professional, being able to play on the Oblique of the adversary, by exploiting waitings, legitimate, of the Civil society, in the field of the ecology in particular;

• Lastly, all fights related to the Technologies information and the communication, which they have of the militant motivations, ludic, punishable: virus, Hacking, paralysis of site.

In all the cases, it is a question of directing the Opinion, through actions of psychological warfare, war of the image, setting in scene, of misinformation, destinies in particular to make adhere the international opinion to its cause, diaboliser the adversary or to demoralize the opposing side. Here, war of information is synonymous with Propagande, handling, or, to employ a military euphemism, of strategic influence (one also says: public diplomacy, psychological operations alias, psychological Operations etc)

Forms of the infoguerre

One often speaks about the war “by, for and against” information.

• By the Communication of company, by using the professional Networks, and by playing on the Cultural context ,

• By information and the Communication: by producing effective messages - that it is a question of influencing with the international level, to transmit instructions or to rejoin partisans  - but also by as well as possible managing a knowledge higher than that of the adversary (see knowledge management), or trivialement by manufacturing computer viruses. From this point of view, information is transformed into weapon or factor of superiority;

• For information: it is a question this time of acquiring it, as one seizes a richness. It is obvious that there is advantage to bore the secrecies of the other, to get certain relevant information on its intentions, the environment, or some Brevet S or techniques: it does not matter whereas the fight proceeds on the battle field or that it aims at gaining Marché S; one uses all the means of Recherche of information, like the Search engines; one gets busy to improve the effectiveness of research by indexing the engines with Donnée S adapted (see Métadonnée);

• As for “against information”, it is the consequence of the two first. One has to expect extremely logically that the adversary also fights him “by information”, it is thus necessary to envisage shields to be protected as well from a Cyberattaque, a rumor propagated by the press and from a stratagem, while protecting its databases.

It would be quite as right to say as the conflict reveals information like:

• desirable (of the databases, the satellite images, the access codes, in short of the information which should be acquired);
• vulnerable (of the software, the memories, the sites, the networks, information or vectors of information which can be distorted);
• and frightening (of the virus, of the rumors, short all whose propagation is favorable to a camp and vermin to the other).

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