EXPOSE Network Series
Part 1 : – Introduction to the EXPOSE Network and its Hub, the Open Information Partnership (OIP).
Part 2 : – Examining the role of the EXPOSE network and authenticating the supporting evidence.
Part 3 : – Looking at the Network Facilitator for the EXPOSE Network established by the Zinc Consortium.
Part 4 : – Research into the EXPOSE Network partners and the web of globalist institutions behind them.
Part 6 : – The global funding streams and parallel international initiatives placing the EXPOSE Network inside a larger multinational operation.
The EXPOSE Network Partners (Continued)
Thus far we have looked at the EXPOSE Network and its Hub, the Open Information Partnership (OIP); we’ve considered the role of the EXPOSE network, authenticated the supporting evidence and examined how a consortium, led by Zinc Network, will operate as the Network Facilitator.
In Part 4 we started the process of unpicking the web of interconnected NGO’s, intelligence agencies and multinational corporations behind EXPOSE. This demonstrated that available resources far exceed those suggested by the disclosed £10 million, three year contract. In addition, the potential pot of EU funding directed towards countering Kremlin disinformation is vast in comparison to the stated EXPOSE Network’s budget. Something we consider in the next, concluding part of the series.
In his 1982 Westminster Address U.S. President Reagan said:
“We have not inherited an easy world………the gifts of science and technology have made life much easier for us, they have also made it more dangerous……While we must be cautious about forcing the pace of change, we must not hesitate to declare our ultimate objectives and to take concrete actions to move toward them….
…The objective I propose is quite simple to state: to foster the infrastructure of democracy……We in America now intend to take additional steps……[the]..Republican and Democratic party organizations are initiating a study with the bipartisan American Political Foundation to determine how the United States can best contribute……to the global campaign for democracy now gathering force….
….It is time that we committed ourselves as a nation – in both the public and private sectors – to assisting democratic development……..There is a proposal before the Council of Europe to invite parliamentarians from democratic countries to…..consider ways to help democratic political movements….
…The task I have set forth will long outlive our own generation……Let us now begin a major effort to secure the best – a crusade for freedom that will engage the faith and fortitude of the next generation.”
Reagan was declaring a new form of conflict, one fought with the weapons of information, disinformation and propaganda. No distinction would be drawn between peace and war. The war would be perpetual. The objective was to undermine the political and economic institutions of the enemy from within; to seed ideology among populations and foster movements for democratic development; to confront all who oppose the neoliberalism of the western corporate state.
Combining the might of both the state and private corporations, the force fighting this hybrid warfare would be both overt and covert. Today we call this public private partnership “soft power.”
Private partnership is essential if the project is to work. In the UK just three corporations (News UK, Daily Mail Group & Reach) control 83% of the news media. With the addition of The Guardian and the Telegraph, nearly 80% of the online news coverage is also under corporate control. Similarly, in the U.S. six corporations control 80% of the people’s free and open mainstream media (MSM).
From everything we’ve learned about the EXPOSE network it is clear that combating Kremlin disinformation, if an objective at all, is not its primary focus. It is part of a wider strategy, envisaged in Reagan’s Westminster Address, for controlling the flow of information in order to overwhelm resistance to the global corporate hegemony. The corporate state or ‘corpratocracy.’
Now we’ll consider how the remaining two resource partners of the EXPOSE Network have been tasked to deliver on this commitment.
Bellincat
Bellingcat is probably the best known of the EXPOSE Network partners. It’s founder Eliot Ward Higgins has been featured on numerous mainstream media (MSM) programs. Almost as soon as he started writing his blog, the MSM began to promote him. This makes him practically unique in the political blogosphere. Few, if any, receive this kind of media attention so quickly. There are some well known political bloggers who have gradually built significant followings, achieving a modicum of impact, but none have gone on to write NATO approved reports, other than Higgins.
Bellingcat is an allegedly independent journalism platform started by the blogger Higgins. He began writing, while unemployed in 2012, under the pen name ‘Brown Moses.’ After receiving considerable MSM exposure, in July 2014 Higgins launched a KickStarter fundraiser for Bellingcat as a platform for ‘citizen journalists.’ In just 32 days he raised an impressive £50,891 from 1701 backers to get his new blog off the ground. The backers remain anonymous. Bellingcat was incorporated in November 2015, limiting its director’s liabilities.
Higgins’ carefully crafted Wikipedia legend claims he pioneered the process of monitoring multiple social media channels to gather information from sources such as YouTube. However, the use of online tools to do this was common practice across the blogosphere in 2012. Bellingcat is frequently cited as a leading exponent of open source intelligence (OSINT.) DFRLab’s Operatioan Secondary Infektion being an example of what OSINT can achieve.
In October 2015, just over a year after launching Bellingcat (a blog), Higgins was a lead contributor to the Atlantic Council’s report Hiding In Plain Sight. With his star rising at meteoric pace, by 2016 Higgins was made senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. He was soon a lead contributor on the Atlantic Councils’ 2017 publication Breaking Aleppo. Notably, Higgins left this role as his partnership with the OIP began.
Listed contributors to Breaking Aleppo report included the White Helmets and the Aleppo Media Centre, now defunct. The White Helmets were founded by ex British Military Intelligence Officer (MI5) James Le Mesurier and are strongly linked with numerous terrorist organisations including al Qaeda and ISIS. They are directly funded by the U.S and UK government Foreign and Commonwealth Office, who also fund the OIP hub of the EXPOSE Network.
The Aleppo Media Centre were backed by the French state broadcaster Canal France International. The AMC acted as a terrorist media hub during the occupation of Aleppo. The kind of propaganda they created included the false attribution of images, the editing of video to remove incriminating evidence, the falsifying of casualty reports and so on.
One of the AMC’s most iconic images was the picture of the child Omran Daqneesh which the AMC syndicated globally. The Photo was taken by AMC linked photo journalist ‘freelancer’ Mahmoud Razlam. Raslan was a supporter of the ‘terrorist’ group Nour al-Din al-Zenki who filmed themselves beheading a young boy called Abdullah Issa.
Nour al-Din al-Zenki are claimed by the western coalition of NATO states to be a moderate rebel group. Yet they joined with the al-Qaeda umbrella group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), formerly Jabhat al Nusra (al-Qaeda in Syria) before merging with Ahrar al-Sham to form the Syrian Liberation Front. Ahrar al-Sham were former allies of ISIS until a spat in 2014 saw them form an allegiance with Jabhat al Nusra in opposition to Islamic State. Obviously, calling Nour al-Din al-Zenki moderate rebels is preposterous.
Nour al-Din al-Zenki’s public beheading of a child prompted some questions but the British state broadcaster, the BBC, leapt to their defence. They wrote an anonymous propaganda piece justifying the barbarity. They claimed the small boy was ‘a fighter’ and suggested he was ‘considerably older’ than he looked. Abdullah Issa was 12 when he was decapitated by the U.S. led coalition’s ‘moderate rebel’ allies.
So it is not without reason we might question why Mr Higgins would associate Bellingcat with such people. Similarly we should also question the impartiality and ‘fact checking’ of an Atlantic Council report written with their assistance. Bellingcat will be central to the EXPOSE Network’s effort to provide “trustworthy facts and sources for everyone.”
Bellingcat state on their about page that their partners include the supposed NGO the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). An organisation with extensive links to the U.S. Government, globalist think-tank’s, multinational corporations and western intelligence agencies.
Higgins stated that his interest in geopolitics was prompted by the news coverage of the Arab Spring. This was generally reported as an organic uprising of grassroots activist movements demanding greater democracy and political change in the Middle East and North Africa.
Starting in Tunisia, within little more than a few months, similar uprisings occurred in Bahrain, Egypt, Libya, Syria and Yemen. All of them led to widespread violence and political upheaval with horrific military conflicts soon breaking out in Libya, Syria and Yemen.
The Arab spring started in 2011 but in in 2008 activist leaders, such as those from Egypt’s April 6 movement, were in New York for the first Alliance of Youth Movements (AYM) conference. The AYM was sponsored by, among others, Google and Facebook (both NED donor supporters) and the U.S. Department of State. Numerous corporate executives and government official attended to give their support to the enthusiastic youngsters.
Shortly thereafter, in 2009, the activists were sent to Serbia where they received additional training from the Centre for Applied Nonviolent Action and Strategies (CANVAS). CANVAS are supported by a number of organisations dedicated to political change. Among them are IREX, who also donate to the EXPOSE Network’s partner the Media Diversity Institute.
IREX are supported by Google, Facebook, the Open Society Foundation (who also support Bellingcat) and many, many other global corporations and NGO’s. IREX also enjoy the ‘donor support’ of the USAID, the U.S. Department of State, the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (the EXPOSE Networks ‘client’) and the World Bank. All of whom were eager to support April 6’s struggle for freedom.
While these revolutionary movements attracted many innocent people, who genuinely wanted reform, their organisational structures and leaderships were not remotely ‘grassroot.’ These attempted revolutions were orchestrated from overseas and the National Endowment for Democracy were at the heart of most of it. This was widely acknowledged, even the MSM were forced to tentatively admit U.S. backing of the uprisings.
Numerous civil society organisations, all funded by the NED, such as the International Republican Institute, the National Democratic Institute and Freedom House were involved in the longstanding U.S plan. The objective, from a U.S. foreign policy perspective, was to train, equip and network significant numbers of North African and Middle Eastern activists as part of a geopolitical strategy to undermine regional government, foment dissent, destabalise and then seize control of the targeted nations.
The primary objective of the U.S. orchestrated Arab Spring appears to have been to allow global corporations to run the targeted nation once they were reduced to chaotic, failed states. For example, following the UK / French led NATO destruction of Libya, an international oil conglomerate put their man Abdurrahim el-Keib in charge.
Just because an NGO provides support for a media outlets, counter disinformation project or blog, it doesn’t mean the recipient necessarily share the goals or methods of the NGO. However, it is naive to imagine the funding is unconditional. In any event, it appears Higgins was a perfect fit for the NED from the start.
The NED receives an annual appropriation from the U.S Department of State and was formed during the Reagan administration as a supposedly Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO). However, it is really a government organisation whose purpose is to project U.S foreign power.
The NED was created as a result of Presidential Directive 77 which tasked the Special Planning Group, within the U.S National Security Council, to deliver “public diplomacy activities,” which is diplomatic code for propaganda. The National Endowment for Democracy was the result.
Comprising of four committees, the NED came into being under the auspices of the International Information Committee and the International Political Committee. The stated objective of the Information Committee were:
“…planning, coordinating and implementing international information activities in support of U.S policies and interests relative to national security. It will assume the responsibilities of the existing “Project Truth” Policy Group.”
The political committee was tasked with the following:
“…planning, coordinating and implementing international political activities in support of U.S policies and interests relative to national security. Included among such activities are aid, training and organisational support for foreign governments and private groups to encourage the growth of democratic political institutions and practices.”
The U.S political class deemed the creation of NED (and other NGO’s) necessary due to a series of scandals that rocked the U.S intelligence community throughout the 1970’s. Watergate, the Church committee into Operation Mockingbird, the Pike committee and the Rockefeller Commission all led to a political cold feet. It was expedient to put some distance between political oversight of the intelligence agencies and their activities. Plausible deniability was required.
The NED was created specifically to meet this need. To fund various operations, via its system of ‘grants’ which the politicians and intelligence agencies, primarily the CIA, would prefer to disavow. Declaring itself a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), while receiving direct state funding, was merely an exercise in public relations.
The cofounder of the NED was Allen Weinstein, he was member of the board of directors of the American Political Foundation (Democracy Program), referenced by Reagan in Westminster, which publicly established the NED. Weinstein was the inaugural NED acting chairman. Speaking to the New York Times in 1991 he said:
“A lot of what we do today was done covertly 25 years ago by the CIA”
There is little doubt that the CIA partner the NED. Former CIA director William Casey wrote a memo to White House Presidential advisor Edwin Meese advocating the creation of the NED. He stated:
“We here (the CIA) should not get out front in the development of such an organization, nor do we wish to appear to be a sponsor or advocate.”
[Note: Bracketed information added]
This echoes the sentiments outlined in Presidential Directive 77 that the NED should be a conduit for the covert funding of foreign political movements and propaganda assets, laundering the money through its NGO status. Via its grant system, the NED shapes and influences public opinion, policy and global events. An approach shared by the EXPOSE Network, with NED representative Bellingcat’s assistance.
While NED promotes U.S national security interests, these frequently coalesces with U.S corporate interests. In order to appreciate this we need only look at the network of corporations who also provide support for the NED.
A document released in 2013 showed that NED received ‘generous support’ from Microsoft, Google, Chevron, Goldman Sachs and the U.S Chamber of Commerce. The 2014 Report listed other notable donors including the George Soros’ Open Society Foundation and the Smith Richardson Foundation (SMF). The SMF is also a listed donor to the UK propaganda operation the Integrity Initiative along with Facebook, another NED supporter.
The NED doesn’t make grants to anyone who doesn’t support “U.S policies and interests relative to national security.” Bellingcat, a resource partner of the EXPOSE Network, wouldn’t receive a dime from the NED if it didn’t promote the same interests. As a significant partner in the OIP, who declare “every one of us has the right to be properly informed,” you should be aware of this. Any claim by Bellingcat that they are impartial, objective or transparent should be judged accordingly.
Zinc Network
Zinc Network were incorporate on 16th March 2018, with their domain name established the previous day. The nature of their business is public relations & communications activities and management consultancy (other than financial management). Their named officers are Scott Wayne Brown & Robert Stephen Elliot and their listed address was changed on 20th June 2019 to an anonymous office building in London.
The Open Information Partnership domain name was registered by Breakthrough Media on 28th February 2019. Breakthrough Media Network were incorporated on 21st July 2008. Their named officers are Scott Wayne Brown & Robert Stephen Elliot and their listed address is the same anonymous office building in London.
Interestingly, the CIA currently host most of their online national security infrastructure with Amazon cloud web services (AWS) ‘secret region.’ By 2021 they hope to diversify this multi-billion dollar hosting contract. The OIP, Breakthrough Media and Zinc Network websites are all hosted on AWS. This could be just a coincidence.
Zinc Network is apparently part of the Breakthrough Media and Communications Network (BMCN). Suggesting it is a subsidiary of Breakthrough Media. Yet when you go to breakthroughmedia.org, their publicly listed website, it no longer exists. Internet archives show that Breakthrough Media’s website was redirecting to Zinc Network by 22nd May 2019 with a message saying “Breakthrough Media is now Zinc Network.”
It appears that claims that Zinc is part of BMCN are somewhat disingenuous. Zinc Network is the new name for Breakthrough Media. In order to understand who Zinc Network are we need to look at the activities of the Breakthrough Media Network. They are the same company in all but name.
Robert Elliot , co-founder and CEO of Zinc Network, has a media background as a former TV director and producer. As CEO of BMCN “he still retains a hands-on role in helping shape the campaigns and communications projects around the needs of the clients and the communities Breakthrough and ZINC Network supports.”
Robert, who apparently likes to call himself a ‘Change Agent,’ will presumably have a ‘hands-on role’ shaping the activities of the EXPOSE Network around the needs of the client, the UK Government Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and their Counter Disinformation and Media Development Program (CDMD). Robert has written articles for the Guardian among other MSM outlets.
Scott Brown is the other co-founder and Executive Director of Zinc Network. Scott says he founded Zinc Network in 2012, although it wasn’t registered as a company for a further six years. He says he has lived and worked in Iraq, Somalia, the UAE and Kenya. His LinkedIn profile lists his work history:
- 2007-2008 Accounts Director at M&C Saatchi
- 2008 – 2009 Head of Internal Communications at Majid Al Futtaim.
- 2009 – 2012 Deputy Chief of Staff at Chimes Communications Ltd.
- 2012 – Date Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Breakthrough media
So it appears Scott founded Zinc Network in 2012 while he was the CEO of Breakthrough Media. However, there are a couple of notable omission from Scott’s work history. He worked for the UK Conservative Party’s strategic communications team. Presumably it was during this time that Scott first crossed paths with Richard Chalk who also worked for them.
However, Scott says he didn’t encounter Chalk until they met in 2006, when both were part of PR firm Bell Pottinger’s partnership with the U.S. Information Operations Task Force (IOTF) in Baghdad. This probably accounts for his time living and working in Iraq.
Scott said he only bumped into Chalk because Chalk had been part of the management team while he had been in a lowly administrative role. So it was quite a career leap for Brown when he went from an administrative role to Accounts Director at M&C Saatchi the following year. Though possibly not, given that Scott’s minor role at Bell Pottinger was Deputy Chief of Staff.
Bell Pottinger were paid by the Pentagon to produce propaganda in Iraq. The contract, reportedly worth more than half a billion dollars, included creating fake terrorist videos with an embedded codec to identify the IP address of the viewer. They were distributed by U.S troops, to track whose hands they fell into, according to former Bell Pottinger whistle-blower Martin Wells. Wells was headhunted and joined the Bell Pottinger team at the U.S. Military base Camp Victory, in the summer of 2006.
Lord Tim Bell, also a former spin doctor for the Conservative Party, and chairman of Bell Pottinger during the propaganda operation, told reporters, “it was a covert military operation…..It was covered by various secrecy documents…..We were very proud of it.” He confirmed that Bell Pottinger reported to the Pentagon, the CIA and the U.S. National Security Council on its work in Iraq. For their part, the Pentagon confirmed Bell Pottinger were contracted to them on the project.
For some reason, Scott Brown neglected to mention his time with Bell Pottinger on his LinkedIn profile. Nor do Zinc Network make any mention of their history on their website, remarkably claiming instead to have “unprecedented access to the world’s information.” Perhaps we shouldn’t expect the “open information exchange” promised on the OIP website.
In 2008 Scott left M&C Saatchi and joined the Majid Al Futtaim group. They are an UAE holding company based in Dubai. Accounting for his time in there.
By coincidence, Richard Chalk became the Chief Executive of M&C Saatchi’s Middle East operation the same year. He worked to establish their first Middle East office in Abu Dhabi. The project reached fruition in 2012 with a client list including the Majid Al Futtaim group.
Richard Chalk, Scott’s former colleague in at least two of his roles, who he barely knows, is the current head of the the Home Office’s Research, Information and Communications Unit (RICU). Chalk became the head of RICU in 2012, the same year that Scott Brown became the Director of Breakthrough Media and, according to him, set up Zinc Network. Following Chalk’s appointment, RICU began outsourcing much of their operation to Breakthrough Media.
RICU is based in the UK Home Office’s Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism (OSCT), a unit set up by former MI6 officer Charles Farr in 2007. In 2011 the UK Government reviewed their Prevent Strategy. This resulted in a duty, under Section 26 of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, for all local authorities to have “due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism”. Under schedule 6 of the act that duty extends to all providers of criminal justice, School, Local government, NHS and police services.
The Prevent Duty Guidance for local authorities outlines the UK Government’s claims that potential terrorists are first drawn into “extremist ideology.” The Prevent Strategy was redesigned in 2011 because “non-violent extremism” apparently creates the conditions for terrorism. So what is ‘extremism’ according to the UK State?
“Vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs.”
They clarify:
“The strategy also means intervening to stop people moving from extremist (albeit legal) groups into terrorist-related activity.”
This shifting of the goalposts from ‘terrorism,’ which is both illegal and something we should take steps to prevent, to ‘non-violent legal opposition to fundamental British values’ is vital to understand. Mainly because the UK state don’t make any distinction between the two.
We know the state determines British values to include certain elements. These are religious & cultural tolerance, mutual respect, individual liberty, democracy and the rule of law. All commendable but lacking definition. Does this mean questioning the electoral or justice systems marks you out as a terrorist? However, ‘include’ implies there are other values we don’t know about. So what are they and who decides what they are? We just don’t know.
There are some values that are conspicuously absent. Freedom of expression, the right to a fair trial by a jury of your peers, innocence until guilt is proven and freedom of the press aren’t mentioned at all. Aren’t these British values?
Freedom of speech is mentioned, BUT……..“it is important to realise that the risk of radicalisation in institutions does not just come from external speakers. Radicalised students can also act as a focal point for further radicalisation through personal contact with fellow students and through their social media activity. Where radicalisation happens……..these signs can be recognised and responded to appropriately.”
Much like the EXPOSE Network’s counter disinformation program, the applied definitions, far from tackling genuine threats, all point towards a concerted effort to stop any criticism of the state and, by extension, its private corporate partners. It is the almost total lack of acknowledgments of our freedoms that stands out. It is oppressive.
Breakthrough media (Zinc Network) were tasked with creating reams of material to both promote the Prevent strategy and make sure local authorities were on board. This included promotional films, Twitter feeds, Facebook profiles, YouTube clips, online radio content and websites. It was lucrative for Breakthrough, earning them £11.8 million in 4 years.
Breakthrough’s approach to the Prevent strategy was remarkably similar to the one they have adopted for the EXPOSE Network. They reportedly aimed to “influence online conversations by being embedded within target communities via a network of moderate organisations that are supportive of it’s goals.” We can already guess who those supportive organisations might be.
In 2016 David Anderson QC was asked to conduct an independent review of terrorism laws by the Home Affairs Select Committee Inquiry into Government’s Counter-Terrorism Strategy. As an employee of the state (all QC’s are) his report was surprisingly frank. He highlighted many of the concerns expressed by people (mainly Muslim community members at the time) subjected to the Prevent Strategy.
This included comments from a large scale 2015 academic review who noted that Prevent, “reinforces an ‘us’ and‘them’ view of the world, divides communities, and sows mistrust of Muslims.” They recommended the Government should “end its ineffective Prevent policy and rather adopt an approach that is based on dialogue and openness”. Other notable criticisms included that it “unfairly targets Muslims and school children,” and is used to “spy and denigrate the Muslim community and cause mistrust”.
There is little doubt Breakthrough were creating disinformation, propaganda and operating online under a variety of spoof profiles, disseminating disingenuous and misleading content. They seemingly attracted employees under false pretenses, manipulating some into signing the Official Secrets Act, ensuring their silence, and set them to work on projects they became increasingly uncomfortable with.
Amina Aweis was an A’level student attracted to a digital marketing and business apprenticeship scheme. She joined hoping to get some valuable training and experience and was pleased to be matched with a role as a social media manager for Zinc Network. Unfortunately the experience she gained wasn’t what she anticipated.
She reports that the interview was misleading, making no mention of Breakthrough media or their government contract, instead selling her the Zinc concept as a “grassroots organisations.” She signed the Official Secrets Act without fully appreciating, or being told, its implications. Marketed to her as an independent project her suspicions were first aroused when Breakthrough Media was referenced in office discussions.
These deepened when she realised that colleagues were creating content with fake personas, often acting as Muslim women, which predominantly they weren’t. Client (RICU) meetings were held discussing engagement with the Muslim community, using her ideas, while Amina, who is a Muslim woman, was excluded. She noted political agendas, overqualified people pushed aside and freelancers being exploited. She left disillusioned and exhausted.
I have absolutely no idea if Amina’s story is true. Presumably, as she signed the OFA, that’s not her name. But it “fits the narrative”. Which, apparently, is perfectly acceptable.
Eventually Breakthrough Media’s (Zinc’s) disinformation and propaganda program was exposed with the revelations over the WOKE program. These certainly lend plausibility to Amina’s account. Presented as a distinct media company, it misled users and participants into believing its objective was to “engage in critical discussions around Muslim identity, tradition and reform.”
In reality it was a psyop operation run by the OSCT (almost certainly RICU) with its social media operation managed by Zinc Network. Among its many utterly duplicitous creations, was a Zinc run Facebook page called “What is fake news?” It featured young Muslims saying thing like “online, we can never know who the source is” and “we have to train ourselves against what’s going on out there”.
When journalists used the Freedom of Information Act to request further detail from the OSCT their requests were denied, citing reasons of ‘national security.’ The OSCT stated they did hold information but couldn’t release it because it would:
“…open up detailed information about organisations and individuals who are engaged in the delivery of, and who are supporting activities to prevent terrorism”
We must ask ourselves how running mass media disinformation campaigns against the public protects ‘national security.’ There would appear to be no justification for this whatsoever. Sadly, if that were not bad enough, it raises another far more sinister possibility.
Anyone who is familiar with the evidence of Al Muhajiroun’s activities in the UK must be aware of the UK intelligence agencies apparent toleration, if not support, for their Islamist extremist recruitment operations. If you wish to radicalise individuals or groups “vulnerable to disinformation” then first you need to find them. Can you honestly think of a better way than by drawing them in to ostensibly benign activist organisations. From where they can be monitored, guided or used.
I am speculating and am in no way suggesting Zinc Network (Breakthrough) were knowingly engaged in such an operation. But when your client is a shadowy propaganda unit established by the Secret Intelligence Service, the possibility of your program, itself hardly open and transparent, being used, exists.
This method of embedding effective government agents inside media organisations and engaged citizen activist movements is precisely what the EXPOSE Network, led by Zinc Network and their partners, DFRLab, Bellincat and the Media Diverity Initiative has been set up to do. Everything we know about the EXPOSE Network indicates that it is not a counter disinformation organisation. It is on the front-line of a propaganda war devised nearly forty years ago.
The aim is not to undermine Kremlin disinformation which, on the whole, appears to present a relatively minor threat. It’s target is not Russian troll farms, hacktivists or propaganda assets. It’s target is foreign nation states, their popular media, western MSM outlets and our ability to openly and freely share information. It’s aim is to provide the narratives that will shape public opinion over the coming years as the global corporate state moves towards its long dreamed of dominion.
Next, in the final part of the series, we will explore how the EXPOSE network is behind a much larger push for control of all information across Europe and beyond.
Please consider supporting my work. I really need your help if I am going to continue to provide the research and analysis that you value on a full-time basis. You can support my work for less than the price of a cup of coffee via my donor page or alternative become a paid subscriber to my Substack.
I extend my gratitude to my editor, who has provided invaluable contributions to my articles since October 2021 (but who, for personal reasons, prefers to remain anonymous).
Please feel free to share anything from iaindavis[.]com excluding any and all third party content. I use a Creative Commons License. All I ask is that you give credit to the author and clearly mark any changes you make. Please share my work widely. Censorship is increasing and we need to get this information out there. If you value what I do then please consider supporting my work. Many thanks.
Be the first to comment on "EXPOSE Network and the Open Information Partnership – Part 5"