Internet Invasion: "The Reds Are Coming!"

The blogging discussion about the Sultan's Sabah escapade has morphed. When the incursion first began, a vocal alliance of strange bedfellows spoke loudest. We saw Muslims seeking satisfaction for years of neglect allied, strangely, with Filipino uber-patriots seeking expansion of Philippine territory to include what appears rightfully to belong to the Philippines, if you look at land title apart from the will of the residents.

When Malaysia got the Sultan's band on the run, however, a different set of voices arose. These were the moderate Filipinos who believe Sabah belongs to Sabahans and peace is more important than claim, along with rah rah Malaysians pretty much saying "in your face", Philippines. These two factions were not united, they just were louder than the retreating pro-Sultan gang.

Last Friday, for the first time, the incident dropped off of Rappler's roll-up headlines in favor of the pound-for-pound boxing ratings. Given the news coming out of Malaysia about apparent extreme brutality toward Filipinos there, the story will likely come back. It is tragic. 

But what I want to write about today is a third group of voices that was pronounced during the first period when tensions ran high. The voices had a consistent theme: run down President Aquino and run down the Philippines. If you read the messages, they seemed strikingly similar. Good use of English. Perspective from "above" or outside the Philippines. Jingoistic use of insults and slurs. No constructive ideas. Clearly out to smear.

Here is a typical comment, this one from a "Rudy Sentosa:

_______________

But before one blaming Malaysian Government, take a look at PH's Government, and how does PH government care about their countrymen. PH's government is more deplorable than the Malaysian's.

Malaysians slaughter those they consider as risk to their country. But Filipinos are the ones who watch the whole slaughtering of their own countrymen while doing practically nothing.

Anybody watched the movie "SILENT OF THE LAMB"? Pinoys are the lambs who are sent into slaughter house obediently and silently.

 Your IMPOTENT PRESIDENTE has more share of responsibility  than the Malaysians do for those BLOODS.

_______________

Pretty nasty stuff.

A commenter suggested that Santosa was from "Unit 61398", the Chinese military hacking operation. I started paying attention to the well-spoken messages denigrating the Philippines.

These are the screen-names that I found peculiar. I have absolutely no knowledge about the legitimacy or illegitimacy of any of them. I just note the striking similarity of message and tone. I shall call them "PEOPLE WITH AN AGENDA".

• topolcats
• Zootalaws
• Manloloko
• Rudy Sentosa
• Keith Cruz
• Manuel C. Diaz

Now the names themselves fall into two categories: (1) the made-up "o" names and (2) the cornball Spanish names, often representing themselves as Filipino but giving themselves away by referring to the Philippines or Filipinos as "you".

It fires my imagination.

I think of that Chinese military unit in Shanghai that hacked US newspapers. I think of the Chinese strategy to divide the ASEAN alliance to isolate negotiating partners and put them in a weak position, and consistent with that strategy, to weaken the Philippines as a negotiating partner. I think of a thousand troublemakers with a keyboard, an internet connection and an agenda and I think of the swarm of unkind opinions that could fly, like locusts, into the free Philippine dialogue.

I had previously designated four groups as threats to Philippine well-being because they are attacking the framework of stability that President Aquino is attempting to solidify:

• The anti blogging community
• China
• The Catholic Church
• The corrupt

And I suppose we could add on a seasonal basis, strictly for political gain, UNA and other election candidates who employ the campaign technique of tearing down the incumbent President in order to try to demean his party's candidates.

Well, the anti blogging community is really not much of a factor. 

But if you add the PEOPLE WITH AN AGENDA into this group, or imagine it expanding, then the complaining voices start to dominate the discussion. It is a real shift in what the on-line community brings to the Philippines. From a positive people's advocacy, a "check and balance" as a part of good governance, to a negative, condemning the character of the Philippines and the nation's President.

One other thought that comes to mind as I find myself slipping into the role of Chicken Little raising my voice to say "The sky is falling!" or "The Reds are coming! The Reds are coming!".  I reflect on the era of Senator Joseph McCarthy's communist purge in the U.S. in the early 1950's. He hurt innocent people in his obsession to protect.

So "the sky is falling!", or "the Reds are coming!", is not exactly the national attitude we want to see arise.

But how do we promote a positive, unified Philippines when the internet forum of public discourse becomes a cold war battlefield? When we see rational discourse tipped negative by troublemakers? When we see freedom of speech turned inside out to shade and shape our ability to think freely.

The Cybercrime legislation does not touch upon this

I suppose the most basic step would be to ban use of aliases. Make sure each participant in the internet dialogue is known and legitimate. Those hosting discussion forums (Rappler, JoeAm, Raissa Robles, et. al.) would be required to certify the authenticity of correspondents. This would be a nightmare to administer and I suspect the mischief makers might still find a way in.

Would JoeAm reveal himself to help weed out the troublemakers?

For the good of the Philippines, yes.

The internet is dynamic and changing. And we know some nations are working on strategies to wage battle through the internet grid.

We ought to recognize, even at this early date, that Philippine internet discussion forums are NOT representative of the peoples of the Philippines. Even today these forums may be stocked with shills, trolls, spies, saboteurs and malcontents.

Conversations that are critical of the Philippines and Philippine leaders should be read with some measure of wariness, especially if they are detached from any constructive suggestions for building the nation.

Discretion . Awareness. Resistance to easy criticisms devoid of solution.

It is important not to get suckered into helping divide the Philippines.

Unity is a conscious decision. A commitment. And it sometimes requires sacrifice.

Unit 61398: Is the Philippines "In Play"?

Building Housing Military Unit 61398

Unit 61398 is a Chinese military operation. It has been pinpointed as occupying an office building in China from which hacking of American newspapers and government agencies has originated.

These are official government acts. They are not anonymous hackers with bizarre ideals. It appears that China has officially authorized aggressive Chinese spying, theft and harassment of other states via the internet.

All loudly denied of course.

One is inclined to wonder if the U.S. has similar activities going on. Is that why the response from America is rather tepid? As if something must be done to pacify the newspapers that were hacked, not as if officials were horridly offended and considered this tantamount to spying or cyber-war.

I think cyber security (defense) and cyber warfare (offense) are top priority for the United States. I'm guessing the U.S. military and spy agencies practice their techniques on real-life targets of opportunity.

Iran has been subject to significant hacking. I'm sure most have a short list of the "usual suspects": Israel or the U.S.

So with an open internet, we have the platform for open roaming and spying and hijinks. That is, theft, harassment, and even destructive acts. China's work so far appears to be dedicated to acquiring information, not destructive acts.

If you think this is happening only "out there" and it is not relevant to the Philippines, think again. You are likely to meet this offensive behavior some point soon. 

Close Up

Maybe even now, if you read Rappler or The Inquirer or other discussion threads and find the pro-China pablum popping up, or denigration of the Philippines. Are missionaries from China out to sow divisive propaganda within Philippine social media?

I would rather ask the question, WHY NOT? Why would China not seek to sow discord between the Philippines and America? Or between the Philippine people and the Philippine government?

Wouldn't you, if you had an aggressive agenda of divide and conquer?

I am amused that so many activities within the Philippines fall into line with Chinese aims:

• Senators Legarda and Santiago taking the U.S. to task publicly over Tubbataha.

• Leftist political organizations trying to throw the U.S. out of the Philippines for good.

• Get Real blogger benigno relentlessly seeking to undermine legitimate Philippine agencies.

It's as if they do not grasp what is happening.

Now let me be perfectly clear. I think none of these cases has any direct tie to China at all. My point is that Filipinos need to be very clear on what is going on here so that they are working in the best interest of the Philippines and not inadvertently aiding and abetting the enemy. We are likely not to know when China is making incursions into social media or performing active hacking. 

China is the enemy, right?

This Call Center is Not Customer Friendly

Is that too hard a word for you?

What description would you put on China to describe her relationship to the Philippines?

Petulant friend? Greedy friend? Bossy friend?

In my mind China is not a friend because the Chinese are not interested in Philippine well-being. Even if diplomats of both the Philippines and China plaster over their acts with words of friendship.

China is not camped on Philippine rocks because she has the best interest of the Philippines in mind. Or really cares that much about Chinese/Philippine commercial linkages and trade.

Unit 61398 is not interested in Philippine well-being. Unit 61398 is interested in theft and information useful to the waging of influence. Influence is one step short of war. This is a totally different kind of conflict. No battleships or artillery or missiles or drones. Not rules of fair warfare. Just spying and destabilization aimed at target nations.

Divide and conquer.

For myself, I read the discussion thread in this recent article in Rappler ("China rejects PH arbitration move") or look at the intense and rising volume of attack-spam that infests my blog site daily, and I am suddenly faced with a stark understanding.

This is real.

Unit 31398 is real.

Perhaps it has begun. Not war, yet. Influence. Perhaps the Philippines is "in play".

Certainly it is prudent to expect that the more assertive the Philippines is in pursuing it's claim to lands within the 200 nm exclusive economic zone, the more aggressive China is likely to become at exerting influence internally within the Philippines.

My advice, to myself as much as anyone:

Be cool. Expect anything. Don't take all words as forthright truth. Expect manipulations.

And be wary of people promoting thinking that is consistent with China's strategic aim, to divide and conquer. That includes congressmen and left-wingers and bloggers. And those who comment on blogs.

Do what can be done to promote unity rather than division.