Beware – Disinformation’s Parallel Universe

In quantum mechanics, a “parallel universe” imagines another alongside our own – but undetectable. That is what we seem to see in “disinformation” today. Follow me. This is weirder than it sounds.

On one hand, we have Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, and just about anyone with a social media account creating “disinformation,” or false facts and narratives to advance their ugly cause, feeding these storylines from overseas to naïve information consumers in the United States.

Nodes, codes, and competing narratives, many cross-fertilizing each other’s divisive, Marxist communist, anti-freedom angle are increasingly common, with countless attempts pushed daily. Readers must, of course, be savvy. Americans are gradually getting more that way, thankfully.

Back in Voice of America days, we vigorously broadcast into Eastern Europe – not lies, but the value and promise in freedom, equality, individual liberties, Bill of Rights, chance to speak, worship, defend, earn, live and stay free, avoiding repression. We pushed the idea of freedom, the advantages of representative democracy, self-determination, human rights, and the American quality of life.

In that round – call it “round one” – we prevailed. Soviet Union fell, Eastern Europe soon after, and the power of self-determination and individual liberty spread like wildfire. Then, we found the Soviet beast had a brother in Communist China, and was not dead, with Mr. Gorbachev a KGB holdover.  

What we have seen lately is coordination of “disinformation” campaigns by Russia, China, and others, taking the idea of spreading rumors and false stories to a new level, effectively reawakening an idea hatched by Stalin in 1923 –pushing the “disinformation” throttle up, making heads spin.

All this is something most know, but here is the real “parallel universe.” If you go on the State Department’s website, you see references to “disinformation” – how Biden’s team manages “truth” and counters international falsehoods.

Referring to our adversaries, Biden’s team says: “Disinformation is one of the Kremlin’s most important and far-reaching weapons. Russia has operationalized the concept of perpetual adversarial competition in the information environment by encouraging the development of a disinformation and propaganda ecosystem. This ecosystem creates and spreads false narratives to strategically advance the Kremlin’s policy goals. There is no subject off-limits to this firehose of falsehoods.”

They add: “Truth disarms Russia’s disinformation weapons. The Kremlin creates and spreads disinformation in an attempt to confuse and overwhelm people…Disinformation is a quick and fairly cheap way to destabilize societies and set the stage for potential military action.”

To State’s credit, they note “the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials as well as official media routinely amplify Kremlin propaganda, conspiracy theories, and disinformation.” Yes, they do.

But pause. Consider something else – a parallel universe. What would happen if the Biden team – although unconstitutional – used these same “disinformation” techniques, but turned inward?  

What if, instead of the words “Kremlin” and “Russia,” we substituted “Democratic Party” above?  Reread the above passages – written by the Biden Administration – but substitute the word “Democratic Party” for “Kremlin” and “Russia.” Then ask, does this sound oddly familiar?  

Consider an “alternate universe” closer to home. Consider the new organization within Homeland Security called a “Disinformation Governance Board” – led by a Democrat Party operative who undercut the 2020 Hunter Biden laptop story, potentially influencing 2020, all now true.

At no prior time have we had a “disinformation board,” closely paralleling outward descriptions of Stalin’s 1923 board if you reread history. While Biden is not Stalin, any government at any time can conclude that controlling information is in their interest. That is why we have a First Amendment.

Already, this “disinformation board” – and efforts like it limiting speech – is infuriating most Americans, including some liberals (like Jeff Bezos) who see a canary in the coal mine, or crocodile creeping on them, on all who believe in free speech, free markets, and freedom generally. 

In short, what we can do to our adversaries, nobbling how they get to us, can be reversed, coopted by political forces with overtly political, even malign aims, inside the country. The potential is serious.

These forces may be private or public but when a “disinformation board” shows up within the federal government, it is worth asking: Is that a hungry black hole, aiming to swallow truth? Is there an alternate “disinformation” universe growing – or does someone want one to grow – nearby?

The answer is honestly elusive but concerning. The existence of that body is curious, unsettling, comes with some foreboding. The US Government should not have any alternate “disinformation” universe – no disinformation board looking inward, parsing, disapproving, censoring, or “governing” truth. So, beware the “parallel universe” – it could be dangerous, not just in quantum mechanics.