Messing with the enemy Surviving in a social media world of hackers, terrorists, Russians, and fake news

Former FBI special agent Watts presents a timely yet dangerous look at how the world shares and discovers information, along with how people strive to manipulate and sway information. He explains how the dawn of the new millennium gave terrorists and nefarious individuals an effective way to communicate via social media platforms to recruit followers, incite violence, and influence global politics. Specific examples are discussed, from Osama bin Laden using social media in its infancy as a recruitment tool to how Russia waged "information attacks" and hacked U.S. email accounts to influence the 2016 presidential election-which he asserts won Donald Trump the White House-that led to social media giants coming under fire. A discussion of why corporations and social media companies should be in panic mode at a time when public trust in their services has dwindled owing to various entities using their platforms for harm is also provided, as well as thoughts on how they and the U.S. government can protect themselves and our citizens. Verdict Reminiscent of John Perkins's Confessions of an Economic Hit Man for its behind-the-scenes details of corruption, this work will appeal to military, cybersecurity, and political readers.-David Miller, Farmville P.L., NC © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.