Difference between revisions of "Integrity Initiative"

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[[Lucy Morgan Edwards]] summarised it in January 2019 as "an extremely shady covert disinformation and anti-democratic [[deep state]] outfit".<ref>http://radio4all.net/index.php/program/101001</ref> On 22 January 2019 it claimed that some of the data leaked had been falsified (but did not specify which), briefly locked its [[Twitter]] feed and deleted the entire content of its [[website]].<ref name=rt2019/>
 
[[Lucy Morgan Edwards]] summarised it in January 2019 as "an extremely shady covert disinformation and anti-democratic [[deep state]] outfit".<ref>http://radio4all.net/index.php/program/101001</ref> On 22 January 2019 it claimed that some of the data leaked had been falsified (but did not specify which), briefly locked its [[Twitter]] feed and deleted the entire content of its [[website]].<ref name=rt2019/>
 
+
{{SubPages}}
 
==Official narrative==
 
==Official narrative==
 
In response to an urgent parliamentary question from [[Emily Thornberry]], [[Alan Duncan]] stated that "the [[Institute for Statecraft]] is an independent UK-based [[charity]] whose work seeks to improve governance and enhance [[national security]]. It runs a project called the integrity initiative, which is working to counter [[disinformation]] overseas by bringing together groups of experts to analyse and discuss the problem posed by [[Russian]] disinformation."<ref>https://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2018-12-12a.285.0</ref>
 
In response to an urgent parliamentary question from [[Emily Thornberry]], [[Alan Duncan]] stated that "the [[Institute for Statecraft]] is an independent UK-based [[charity]] whose work seeks to improve governance and enhance [[national security]]. It runs a project called the integrity initiative, which is working to counter [[disinformation]] overseas by bringing together groups of experts to analyse and discuss the problem posed by [[Russian]] disinformation."<ref>https://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2018-12-12a.285.0</ref>

Revision as of 08:32, 16 April 2019

Group.png Integrity Initiative
(Orwellian language‎, Deep state milieu?Facebook WebsiteRdf-entity.pngRdf-icon.png
Ii logo strap 200.png
AbbreviationII
MottoDefending Democracy Against Disinformation
Formation2015
Founder• Chris Donnelly.jpg Chris Donnelly
• Institute for Statecraft HQ 2.jpg Institute for Statecraft
•  Free University of Brussels
Parent organizationInstitute for Statecraft
InterestsRussophobia, Cold War 2.0
Interest ofMax Blumenthal, King's College London, Kit Klarenberg, Mike Robinson, Rogue Media Labs, Johanna Ross, Softpanorama, Chris Williamson, Working Group on Syria Propaganda and Media
Founder ofIntegrity Initiative/Cluster/Australia, Integrity Initiative/Cluster/Austria, Integrity Initiative/Cluster/Baltics, Integrity Initiative/Cluster/Canada, Integrity Initiative/Cluster/France, Integrity Initiative/Cluster/Leaders, Integrity Initiative/Cluster/Lithuania, Integrity Initiative/Cluster/Moldova, Integrity Initiative/Cluster/Netherlands, Integrity Initiative/Cluster/Nordic, Integrity Initiative/Cluster/Poland, Integrity Initiative/Cluster/Spain, Integrity Initiative/Cluster/US, Integrity Initiative/Cluster/Ukraine
Sponsored byUK/FCO, WhistleblowersUK
SubpageIntegrity Initiative/Cluster
Integrity Initiative/Cover up
Integrity Initiative/Director
Integrity Initiative/Leak
Membership• Andy Pryce.png Andy Pryce
• Lukas Andriukaitis.jpg Lukas Andriukaitis
• Anne Bader.jpg Anne Bader
• Anna Bosch.jpg Anna Bosch
• Simon Bracey-Lane.jpg Simon Bracey-Lane
• Ben Bradshaw.jpg Ben Bradshaw
• Quique Badia-Masoni.jpg Quique Badia-Masoni
• Stephen Dalziel.jpg Stephen Dalziel
• Yusuf Desai.jpg Yusuf Desai
• Chris Donnelly.jpg Chris Donnelly
• Alexander Finnen.jpg Alex Finnen
• Nigel Gould-Davies.jpg Nigel Gould-Davies
•  Maria da Goeij
• Euan Grant.jpg Euan Grant
•  Jack Hagley
• Chris Hernon.jpg Chris Hernon
• Dan Kaszeta.jpg Dan Kaszeta
• Kseniya Kirillova.jpg Kseniya Kirillova
• Francisco de Borja Lasheras.jpg Borja Lasheras
• Leventhal.jpg Todd Leventhal
• Victor Madeira.png Victor Madeira
• Jelena-milic.jpg Jelena Milic
• Mira Milosevich.jpg Mira Milosevich
• Johanna Moehring.jpg Johanna Moehring
• Alina Mosendz.jpg Alina Mosendz
• Nico de Pedro.jpg Nico de Pedro
• Gonzalez Ponz.jpg Gonzalez Ponz
• Tim Reilly.jpg Tim Reilly
•  Chris Robinson
• Greg Rowett.jpg Greg Rowett
• James Sherr.jpg James Sherr
•  Charles Simon
•  Jacky Sloane
• Nacho Torreblanco.jpg Nacho Torreblanco
•  James Wilson
• Andy Wood.jpg Andrew Wood
"An extremely shady covert disinformation and anti-democratic deep state outfit" that was caught promoting Russophobic propaganda and later deleted its website.

The Integrity Initiative (II) is a propaganda effort funded by the UK foreign office [1] through the Institute for Statecraft. Craig Murray blogged that The Integrity Initiative offers us a glimpse into the very dirty world of surveillance and official disinformation. If we actually had a free media, it would be the biggest story of the day. [2] Lucy Morgan Edwards summarised it in January 2019 as "an extremely shady covert disinformation and anti-democratic deep state outfit".[3] On 22 January 2019 it claimed that some of the data leaked had been falsified (but did not specify which), briefly locked its Twitter feed and deleted the entire content of its website.[4]  

Sub-Pages

          Page Name          SizeDescription
Integrity Initiative/Cluster7,114Metastases from the IfS/II. Covert cells with a single leader, been used to exert clandestine influence from the London HQ, for example to promote particular opinions or to smear people it deems undesirable.
Integrity Initiative/Cover up4,480The
Integrity Initiative/Director109
Integrity Initiative/Leak6,847A series of 7 leaks, starting on 5 November 2018, of unknown origin and veracity. After some time, the II disputed the authenticity of some of the documents, but was not clear about which.

Official narrative

In response to an urgent parliamentary question from Emily Thornberry, Alan Duncan stated that "the Institute for Statecraft is an independent UK-based charity whose work seeks to improve governance and enhance national security. It runs a project called the integrity initiative, which is working to counter disinformation overseas by bringing together groups of experts to analyse and discuss the problem posed by Russian disinformation."[5]

History

The Integrity Initiative was set up in Autumn 2015 by the Institute for Statecraft and the Free University of Brussels.[6]

Purposes

Full article: Integrity Initiative/Purposes

Funding

The funding for 2018-9 is listed in one of the leaked documents[Which?] as follows:

  • Funding from HQ NATO Public Diplomacy, £12,000 for each inaugural workshop = £168,000
  • Funding from partner institutions £5,000 for each inaugural workshop = £70,000
  • Funding from NATO HQ for educational video films – free provision of camera team
  • Funding from Lithuanian MOD to provide free all costs for their stratcom team for a monthly trip to support a new hub/cluster creation and to educate cluster leaders and key people in Vilnius in infowar techniques = £20,000
  • Funding from US State Dept, £250,000 for research and dissemination activities (excluding any activity in USA)
  • Funding from Smith Richardson Foundation, £45,000 for cluster activities in Europe and USA
  • Funding from Facebook, £100,000 for research and education activities
  • Funding from German business community, £25,000 for research and dissemination in EU countries[7]

Publications

On 20 July 2018 Dan Kaszeta published an article entitled Demolishing the Kremlin’s absurd theories about Novichok and Porton Down which concluded that "The proximity argument is absurd. The simple fact is that a nation like the UK needs a place like Porton Down to do valuable work to protect not just the nation’s armed forces but also to protect all of us who live here. Alleging leaks and plots does not do any good for anyone. In the absence of any evidence, these stories and theories are absurd."[8]

Urban Skripals.jpg

On 21 December 2018 Dan Kaszeta "heartily recommend[ed]" The Skripal Files by Mark Urban and termed it "the best starting point available at the moment" on the Skripal Affair.[9]


Exposure

The II was dramatically exposed by a leak on 5 November 2018. Independent media sources have picked up the news about the Integrity Initiative, but UK corporate media has been very slow to do so.

The Leak

Full article: Integrity Initiative/Leak

In late 2018 and early 2019, Anonymous published 6 tranches of documents at CyberGuerilla which gave names of people who worked for the group and some details of its work.[10][6]

Summary of a day's activities in the Moncloa Campaign's use of Twitter to promote Russophobia

Parliamentary question

On 4 December 2018 Labour MP Chris Williamson tabled a parliamentary question, asking whether Integrity Initiative - a "so-called think-tank dealing in disinformation" - had received UK government funding. The response was affirmative and he called for an parliamentary inquiry.[11]

Independent media

Independent media sources have reported on the Integrity Initiative, and Craig Murray has personally investigated.[12]

Cover up

Commercially-controlled media in the UK has not reported much about the Integrity Initiative. Exceptions include The Mirror, which published an article on 9 December entitled Labour attack government-funded body for sharing articles critical of Jeremy Corbyn.[13] Also, on the same day the Daily Record wrote that "On the surface, the cryptically named Institute for Statecraft is a small charity operating from an old Victorian mill in Fife. But explosive leaked documents passed to the Sunday Mail reveal the organisation’s Integrity Initiative is funded with £2million of Foreign Office cash and run by military intelligence specialists."[14]


Corporate media

On 9 January 2019, James Ball wrote a piece in the Guardian which concluded that "If we are to tackle Russian-backed misinformation – and to restore trust in our institutions, we must – we can’t do it by trying to beat them at their own game... Working largely from the shadows, Russia has co-opted our information ecosystem. Confronting it will have to be done in the open."[15] A commentator in Off Guardian opined that the article "was so poorly written that they had to close the comment section after 138 comments. People do know a lot more than the Guardian thinks."[16]

Wikipedia

A Wikipedia page was created on 18 December 2018, and lasted until 24 December 2018 when Wikpiedia User Rwenland replaced it with a redirect to the Institute for Statecraft page.[17]

Removal of internet presence

On 22 January, the Integrity Initiative announced the "temporary" removal of all content from its website, and interrupted its Twitter feed, making it followers only for a period of time. It also claimed that "We are keen to trace both the source of the hack and the use to which our data - some genuine, some falsified - has been put." RT remarked "The website will be “relaunched shortly” and “analysis” of the hack and its “significance” will be published soon, the statement said. It doesn’t look as though many will be awaiting that analysis with bated breath, however."[4] On 23rd January the Integrity Initiative briefly locked their twitter account.[18] which was reversed

Integrity Initiative cover up tweet of 22 January 2019.png

[19]

 

Documents by Integrity Initiative

TitleDocument typePublication dateSubject(s)Description
Document:5 July Seminar; Potential guest list for discussionspooky seminar invitation list26 February 2016Deep state
Propaganda
UK
Integrity Initiative
Spooky seminar
Seminar with a mix of media, academics and lots of spooks
Document:ATA and YATA UK networks developmentassessment Greg Rowett and networking26 December 2018Atlantic Treaty Association
Greg Rowett
Networking
Greg Rowett explaining how II has developed personal connections with Atlantic Treaty Association and Young Atlantic Treaty Association leaders from other nations, and been recognised and ratified as the UK chapter for both
Document:An assessment of RT in the Middle East and North Africa: April 2018report26 December 2018An assessment of RT in the Middle East and North Africa: April 2018An assessment of RT in the Middle East and North Africa: April 2018
Document:Appendix A Ukraine Indicators and WarningsUkrainan view of Russian/separatist tactics and strategy26 February 2016Russia
Ukraine
Separatists
Ukrainian officers tells British colleagues their opinions
Document:Bid for MoD Funding 2017-2018project proposal14 March 2017Propaganda
Integrity Initiative
II/C
"Creation of a Europe-wide network of groups who understand the danger of Russian active measures and who can pass the message on to their own decision-makers and public, often using material which we initiate"
Document:Brief on Monitoring Moldovan 2019 ElectionsBriefing26 December 2018Moldova
Election
Election monitoring
Maia Sandu
"As a conclusion, it is absolutely important for foreign missions and observers to start monitoring the Moldovan elections already now, since elections are made long before the voting date!"
Document:CND Gen list 2name list26 December 2018List of names and emails for CND Genlist of names and email addresses of what seems to be intelligence workers/assets (CND is short for Christopher Nigel Donnelly)
Document:CND Integrity Initiative visit to Oslo, 29-31 Aug 2016schedule26 December 2018Norway
Aftenposten
Institute for Defence Studies
Northern Norway
Barents Observer
Donnelly's travel itinerary to Oslo + meeting how to create cell in Norway
Document:Chris Donnelly Recommendation for the Appointment or Extension of Tenure of an Honorary Colonel of a T/A Reserve Regional UnitRecommendation for Extension of Tenure of an Honorary Colonel26 December 2018Chris Donnelly
Specialist Group Military Intelligence
Recommendation for Extension of Tenure of an Honorary Colonel for Chris Donnelly working in Specialist Group Military Intelligence
Document:Chris Donnelly Washington DC Scheduleschedule26 December 2018Wikipedia
Washington DC
A schedule of c's meetings in Washington
Document:CyberGuardian Cyber Security Education Programme for Children and Young Peoplebrainwashing concept paper30 January 2016Hacking
"Cyberwarfare"
Brainwashing of children
II puts lots of thought into how the military can train British children for cyberwarfare.
Document:DK15 2016 The Institute for Statecraft PCInvoice26 December 2018Hungarian invoice to The Institute for Statecraft Integrity Initiative
Document:DK6 2016 PC The Institute for StatecraftInvoice26 December 2018Hungarian invoice to The Institute for Statecraft Integrity Initiative
Document:Discernment: Why information statecraft mattersstrategy document26 December 2018Censorship
Brainwashing
"Radicalisation"
Information health
Musings on how to keep media dominance and control young minds
Document:Discussion with Artur Gherman re the situation in Moldova, 28 01 2017Discussion26 December 2018Freemasonry
Moldova
Election
Document:Donnelly Workshop Sept 19workshop participants26 December 2018List of email addresses
Document:Euan Grant ContributionsWikispooks Page8 May 2018Euan Grant ContributionsEuan Grant telling how he plans to offer completed packages of material to professional bodies, print and online press
Document:Executive Summary Cyber Security Education Programme for Children and Young Peoplebrainwashing concept paper executive summary26 February 2016Hacking
"Cyberwarfare"
Brainwashing of children
II sums up its thought on how the military can train British children for cyberwarfare
Document:FCO Disinformation update: Salisbury and Syriareview26 December 2018Douma attack
Skripal Affair
"Russian Propaganda"
UK Foreign Office email, presumably to trusted pro-government journalists, with information as 'background for your own work'. Cliff notes on Douma, Skripal etc.
Document:FCO US Integrity Initiativesketching out a US II-network26 December 2018Request for US support
Document:Forward Thinking Report - The potential relevance of the Ukrainian National Reform Council to the Tunisian Transitionpolicy advice26 December 2018Ukraine
"Arab Spring"
Tunisia
making the Tunisian economy more like Ukraine's
Document:Greek Cluster Meetingcluster meeting25 June 2018The Greek cell ('cluster') conspires against the elected Syriza government.
Document:Greek Media and Information Literacy Weekmedia workshop28 November 2018The British covert propaganda outfit wants..."to familiarize readers/media users with basic principles and concepts so that they can judge and control...the online and printed content they read, share or create, so as to be able to distinguish news from misinformation, biased content, or propaganda".
Document:Gyori lorant acc invoice 00719-16-MFEPrepayment request26 December 2018Meeting loots of spooks/propagandists in Washington
Document:II Report Greek Diplomatic Expulsionspress summary28 November 2018Summary of Greek comments after expulsion of Russian diplomats "with the constant advice of the American embassy".
Document:Independent journalism in hostile places or How to report Repressive Regimes and survivereview of proposal of joint event with private (?) company26 December 2018A spooky company called Foreign Desk Ltd suggest a joint event with the Integrity Initiative. The proposal has comments from II's Victor Madeira
Document:Institute for Statecraft & Center for Naval Analyses Joint Workshopworkshop summary22 June 2018Sweden
Estonia
Norway
Poland
Psyop
Navy
Nuclear weapon
US/Marine Corps
Zapad
Information Warfare
Information Warfare Study Day hosted by British Navy. Candid opinions (with a NATO-flavor) on lots of military issues.
Document:Institute for Statecraft Event Chinaevent plan26 December 2018China
Document:Institute for Statecraft Event Nigeriaevent planning26 December 2018Nigeria
77th Brigade
Donald Duke
A strict security round table discussion with Donald Duke, very likely to be a candidate in the next presidential elections in Nigeria
Document:Institute for Statecraft Production timetable March-June 2016list of Armenians suspected of being Russian propagandists26 December 2018Free University of Brussels
Ofcom
Armenia
List of opponents
List of suspected Russian propagandists
Document:Integrity 2018 Moldova Cluster (1)strategy document26 December 2018Corporate media
Strategy
Plans
Integrity Initiative/Cluster/Moldova
Document:Integrity Francereport25 June 2018Propaganda
France
Integrity Initiative
II/C
a partial list of II-France members. For complete list, see Integrity Initiative/Cluster/France
Document:Integrity Initiative Budget for the 12 months ending 31 March 2019Budget and activity plan2 November 2018Propaganda
Integrity Initiative
II/C
Political warfare
Information Operation
Budget outlining how Integrity Initiative is going to control the information space, and influence policy-makers, specialists and media.
Document:Integrity Initiative Serbian Clusterbudget26 December 2018Integrity Initiative/Cluster/Serbiabudget and activities of an Integrity Initiative influence network in Serbia
Document:Integrity Initiative Staff Paymentspayment list26 December 2018Salaries of British intelligence workerssalaries etc. of II staff members
Document:Invoice Eduard Abrahamyaninvoice26 December 2018Eduard AbrahamyanInvoice from Eduard Abrahamyan for work performed
Document:Invoice for 2 articles by Dan Kaszetainvoice26 December 2018Integrity Initiative articlesInvoice for 2 articles written by Dan Kaszeta for Integrity Initiative “Poison gas” and "Nerve agents and treatment”
Document:Maritime Battle Staff Information Warfare (IW) Study Dayseminar description22 June 2018Netherlands
Psyop
DETER/DECEIVE
Information Warfare
Information Warfare Study Day hosted by British Navy
Document:Meeting Note Moscow Stock Exchange Forumseminar description12 June 2017Gold
Oil
Aluminium
Russian economy
Economic warfare
Arkady Dvorkovich
Alexander Afanasiev
Pavel Grachev
Oleg Mukhamedshin
Grain
II, probably Victor Madeira or Perry Fawcett, attended a Russian business forum in London
Document:Meetings in Greece Feb 2017cluster meeting10 February 2017Greek II collaborators discussing how to reorient Greek public opinion.
Document:Moldova- suggested priorities for consideration by clusters and UK staff in light of recent and ongoing developmentsStrategy Document26 December 2018Moldova
II/C
Making and spreading of outputs
Document:Nationbuilder Peoplename list26 December 2018List of media peoplelist of Nationbuilder people, ie journalists mostly in large media corporations
Document:Notes from colleagues in the Baltic States who are monitoring Russia carefullyWikispooks Page18 March 2018Skripal Affair
Russia/Propaganda
A document from the Integrity Initiative Leak which asserts that "A criminal investigation [into the Skripal affair] alone will not throw these essential clues up, and is unlikely to yield sufficient judicial evidence We need to be looking at, and explaining, this attack from a political and military-intelligence perspective. That means educating our audience to understand how Russia sees this world as being at war."
Document:Outline Concept paper for IfS US programme v6 28 08 2017 (003)request for US support26 December 2018Integrity Initiative/Cluster
Document:Pitch for a long-Form TV series about Russia in the 1990smedia strategy planning26 December 2018Russia
Media strategy
TV-series
Pitch for creating a long-Form TV series about Russia in the 1990s
Document:Post Trip Report Stratcom event 11-13th June 2018report26 December 2018Participants telling of several meeting with fellow information warriors in RigaParticipants telling of several meeting with fellow information warriors in Riga, esp. British and Dutch. Ad bureau Saatchi working for US State Dept.
Document:Private List for Chris. (Possible Funders in Swittzerland)name list26 December 2018List of cutoutsThis is a list of cutouts, seemingly 'independent' 'philanthropic' foundations financing intelligence work
Document:Private discussion with Gen Sir Richard Barronsreport26 December 2018Former leader of British forces Richard Barrons telling of his worries for Britain and the British forcesFormer leader of British forces Richard Barrons sketching out military needs. "The 1st offset in the 1950s was through nuclear weapons. The 2nd was precision munitions in the 1980s. The 3rd offset today is to use information technologies to build new capabilities".."The Army understands the importance of information warfare and 77 Brigade is right" ..So we should them [our allies], especially the US, to tell us what is expected of us."
Document:Production schedule 05 04 2016output report4 May 2016A list of written output from II staff, mostly for internal study use.
Document:Production timetable March-April 2016output planning report25 February 2016A list of planned written output from II staff, similar to Document:Production schedule 05 04 2016
... further results

 

Quotes by Integrity Initiative

PageQuoteDateSource
Institute for Statecraft/ProjectionPostimees has published 14 articles after the Skirpal (sic.) attack. Most of them are referring to the facts announced by the UK government or security forces.”Integrity Initiative/Leak
Institute for Statecraft/ProjectionIt is essential to understand their ability to lie and to have no remorse for their murderous actions, be it an individual, such as Litvinenko and possibly Skripal, or be it hundreds of their own people or thousands of innocent victims in Ukraine or Syria.Integrity Initiative/Leak
Institute for Statecraft/Projection

“Information war” (informatsionnaya voyna)

There is a clear distinction between the Russian definition: an all-encompassing, and not limited to wartime and the Western one: limited, tactical information operations carried out during hostilities.

Russian approach is much broader than simply sowing lies and denial, for instance maintaining that Russian troops and equipment are not where they plainly are.

Russian state and non-state actors have exploited history, culture, language, nationalism and more to carry out cyber-enhanced disinformation campaigns with much wider objectives.

Russian aims to extract, exfiltrate, manipulate, distort, or insert information, or just isolate a target from sources of information other than Russian ones.”
Integrity Initiative/Leak/5
Institute for Statecraft/Purposes“Core aim of Russian propaganda is to get people to say the BBC is the same as RT/Sputnik. Satisfaction with BBC public is low among ordinary Scottish people.”Integrity Initiative/Leak/3
Institute for Statecraft/Purposes“In terms of power projection the growth in British naval aviation is very encouraging...

A phenomenon has taken place ever since the Communist flag came down from above the Kremlin. How we would achieve peace? We reduced our defense, and moved from threat based planning to a capability based planning - we lost the ability to say we need x, because of y.

Now, when you go to the politicians and say I need 127 F22s, the most predictable response, why? The answer is of course: "because x".

We need to return to a threat culture, where requirement is met by a capability..

Collectively we looked at those capabilities, and saw we could destroy ourselves by all spending all at the same time, but shifted into dabbling into a bit of everything - what we need to do now is have clearly defined roles...

There areas for optimism, the increased [military] investment...”
Integrity Initiative/Leak#5
Institute for Statecraft/Purposes“We are at war, in a hybrid war, we cannot deter it - only fight it... We need to go away and seek to change the minds within uniformed services, and move away from a mentality of peacetime, to one of wartime.”Integrity Initiative/Leak#5
Institute for Statecraft/Purposes“The UK would love it's (sic.) own ballistic capabilities, both in a sovereign sense & to enable better cooperation. The range rings represent threats themselves, even if the capabilities are not matched by intent, there is an lack of will by politicians to provide the necessary protection. Not enough political drive enough, there is significant public blindness, if the public were kept in a state of - this would be easier, however politicians would prefer to have a blithe sense of safety. This represents a start difference to Putin, who has been whipping up the fear.”Integrity Initiative/Leak#5
Institute for Statecraft/Purposes“The Italian reactions to Skripal case highlight and confirm a pattern already present in a previous report: pro-Russian sentiments in Italy are mainly inflated not by trolls or fake news but thanks to a large network encompassing politicians, journalists, media, websites etc. already aligned with Russian narrative... To counter this Italian trend it's important to properly address the key political leaders, their new populist parties, and key editorialists, by an effective, discrete and articulated information campaign and narrative and not to be exclusively focused on trolls and fake news.”16 March 2018
Institute for Statecraft/Purposes“Connects media with academia with policy makers with practitioners in a country to impact on policy and society: (Jelena Milic silencing pro-kremlin voices on Serbian TV)”
Institute for Statecraft/Purposes“We engage only very discreetly with governments, based entirely on trusted personal contacts, specifically to ensure that they do not come to see our work as a problem, and to try to influence them gently, as befits an independent NGO operation like ours.”Integrity Initiative/Leak
Institute for Statecraft/Purposes“Publish striking images of SV Skripal in hospital and/or victims of similar exposures to nerve agents (something like the iconic 2006 photograph of Sasha Litvinenko on his deathbed). A high-impact visual story to help the public relate to the enormity of what has just happened in Salisbury.”Integrity Initiative/Leak
Institute for Statecraft/Purposes“It is vital to understand the reasons behind Putin’s warped reasoning – the fact that he is prepared to lie and to kill to protect his wealth and power – if we are to comprehend why the Kremlin has launched this information attack on the West. Only then can we begin to combat it. In Soviet times there was an ideological element, the battle of Capitalism versus Communism. That no longer plays a part. But Putin wants the West at least to respect Russia; better still to fear Russia. That is Putin’s mindset. If in Soviet times the leadership of the USSR relied on Western sympathisers with the Communist cause to help them in their mission, nowadays the Kremlin can call upon support in the West from three groups of people: naïve Russophiles who, despite all the evidence to the contrary, believe that Putin “can’t be all that bad, and anyway the Americans are just as bad”; those who are prepared to toe the Russian line in return for money; or those who are being blackmailed.”May 2018Integrity Initiative/Leak
Institute for Statecraft/PurposesPutin will be around for the foreseeable future - even if he went, what comes after Putin, wouldn't be much better. We believe we will have to face the Russian challenge for many years to come.”Integrity Initiative/Leak
Institute for Statecraft/Purposes“With missile threats and nuclear threats. The UK has forgotten the importance of conventional strength as a method of defence.”Integrity Initiative/Leak
Integrity Initiative/Cluster“What access do they have to the individuals or groups we might want to see represented in a cluster (e.g. journalists, politicians, civil servants, military, academics, business etc.)? What are their capabilities/competencies for: research & analysis; networking; mentoring, conference organising, dissemination (writing, translating, public speaking, publishing, broadcasting)?”Integrity Initiative/Leak/1
Integrity Initiative/Cluster“The Integrity Initiative has the opportunity to develop the programme into North America, based on

the Institute’s subsidiary, the Institute for Statecraft and Governance, which has a simple office in DC

and is in the course of registering as a US 501 c 3 not-for-profit organisation.”
Integrity Initiative/Leak/1
Integrity Initiative/Cluster“Experience in Phase 1 has shown that, once a cluster has been established, measurable impact can be expected within 3 months and the cluster is fully effective within 6 – 9 months.”Integrity Initiative/Leak/1
Troll“The impact of troll accounts cannot be underestimated as they add an additional dimension to an organised disinformation campaign that is difficult to counter. It was noticeable during the research that, whilst UK media could hold its own against its Russian counterparts, there was no UK equivalent to the Russian trolls, who would able to counter their relentless bombardment of anti-establishment rhetoric.”18 April 2018Integrity Initiative/Leak/4
Troll“Someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, with the primary intent of provoking readers into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion. They hide behind their computer screens, and actively go out of their way to cause trouble on the internet. The internet troll is angry and disruptive in every possible way.”18 April 2018Integrity Initiative/Leak/4

 

Related Quotations

PageQuoteAuthorDate
Institute for Statecraft/SecrecyCode of Conduct (Greg to commence with internet etiquette)
Anonymity of the team remains paramount. As our activity increases we will, no doubt, attract unwanted attention.”
30 May 2018
Institute for Statecraft/Secrecy“Be absolutely sure you have good references for people so we know we can trust them before we talk to them about our programme”30 May 2018
Institute for Statecraft/SecrecyBeware the friendly host who wants to book travel or accommodation on your behalf. Absolutely get their tips on where to stay but avoid getting into tricky scenarios and ensure you follow company guidelines and book everything yourself. If in doubt, ask advice from another team member.30 May 2018
Institute for Statecraft/Secrecy“* Chris Donnelly makes initial country introduction with nominated trusted 'cordinator' & relevant II team member/s (normally 2 members minimum per country)
  • II team member/s coordinate foundation workshop to connect members, formally introduce them to II aims, establish target programme for research, issemmination and events. Members to sign code of conduct & non-disclosure Greg Rowett to start code of conduct doc to include basic info on passwords and etiquette with social media etc - final ok should be sought from James Wilson. Debate and decide preferred methods of communication. Activity: £3k budget (based on 20 clusters)”
30 May 2018
Institute for Statecraft/SecrecyBeware the friendly host who wants to book travel or accommodation on your behalf. Absolutely get their tips on where to stay but avoid getting into tricky scenarios and ensure you follow company guidelines and book everything yourself. If in doubt, ask advice from another team member.30 May 2018
Integrity Initiative/Cluster“An effective network is best achieved by forming in each European country a cluster of well-informed people from the political, military, academic, journalistic and think-tank spheres, who will track and analyse examples of disinformation in their country and inform decision-makers and other interested parties about what is happening.”30 May 2018
Integrity Initiative/Cluster“Be absolutely sure you have good references for people so we know we can trust them before we talk to them about our programme ...
  • Chris Donnelly makes initial country introduction with nominated trusted 'coordinator' & relevant II team member/s (normally 2 members minimum per country)
  • II team member/s coordinate foundation workshop to connect members, formally introduce them to II aims, establish target programme for research, dissemination and events. Members to sign code of conduct & non-disclosure Greg Rowett to start code of conduct doc to include basic info on passwords and etiquette with social media etc - final ok should be sought from James Wilson. Debate and decide preferred methods of communication. Activity: £3k budget (based on 20 clusters)”
30 May 2018
Dan Kaszeta“I will continue to work for @InitIntegrity as needed. If that makes you angry, that's your problem and not mine.”Dan Kaszeta5 February 2019
Craig Murray“We have a programme, the Integrity Initiative, whose entire purpose is to pump out covert disinformation against Russia, through social media and news stories secretly paid for by the British government. And we have the Skripals’ MI6 handler, the BBC, Porton Down, the FCO, the MOD and the US Embassy, working together in a group under the auspices of the Integrity Initiative. The Skripal Case happened to occur shortly after a massive increase in the Integrity Initiative’s budget and activity, which itself was a small part of a British Government decision to ramp up a major information war against Russia. I find that very interesting indeed.”Craig Murray21 December 2018
Ben Nimmo“Ben Nimmo works for the Atlantic Council, funded inter alia by NATO. He is also on a retainer of £2,500 per month from the Integrity Initiative, in addition to payments for individual pieces of work. For his attack on Scottish Nationalists Nimmo was therefore paid by the Atlantic Council (your taxes through NATO), by the Integrity Initiative (your taxes) and by the Herald (thankfully shortly going bankrupt)... Nimmo’s role as witchfinder-general for Russian Bots appears very remunerative. His August 2016 invoice to The Institute for Statecraft, apparently the 71st invoice he had issued to various neo-con bodies that year, was for £5,000.”Craig Murray
Ben Nimmo
22 December 2018

 

Known members

30 of the 36 of the members already have pages here:

MemberDescription
Lukas AndriukaitisIntegrity Initiative forensic researcher
Anne BaderSenior Associate Fellow of the Institute for Statecraft
Quique Badia-MasoniSpanish journalist member of the Integrity Initiative and the Institute for Statecraft.
Anna Bosch
Simon Bracey-LaneA "highly improbable left wing firebrand" who worked for the Institute for Statecraft and whom they denied was a spook.
Ben BradshawUK politician and a member of the Integrity Initiative
Stephen DalzielSpokesman for the Institute for Statecraft and "Research and Staff Coordinator" of the Integrity Initiative with "Forty years of dealing with Russia"... “Definitely not secret service, I promise you.” Russo-British Chamber of Commerce director
Chris DonnellyA UK Deep politician who set up the Institute for Statecraft (amongst other groups).
Alexander FinnenSpooky UK deep state operative, Chris Donnelly's "right hand man"
Maria de GoeijIntegrity Initiative/Institute for Statecraft polyglot
Nigel Gould-DaviesChatham House, Integrity Initiative
Euan GrantSpooky journalist/propagandist who worked for the Integrity Initiative interested in financial fraud. "His main forte is thinking strategically and has experience working in many countries around the world."
Chris HernonIntegrity Initiative
Dan KaszetaSpooky US/UK propagandist with a focus on biological weapons, uninvited from a UK MoD conference after his social media posts were deemed to be ill advised. Member of the Integrity Initiative.
Kseniya Kirillova"Russian dissident journalist and expert on Russian propaganda and disinformation" who was a member of the Integrity Initiative.
Francisco de Borja LasherasA member of the Integrity Initiative/Cluster/Spain and the European Council on Foreign Relations
Todd LeventhalA writer at America.gov Member of the Institute for Statecraft
Victor MadeiraA UK academic who has focused on Russian espionage. A member of the IfS and the II.
Jelena MilićSerbian member of the Integrity Initiative and of DisinfoPortal, suspected deep state functionary
Mira MilosevichPolyglot fellow of the Integrity Initiative
Alina MosendzMember of the Integrity Initiative and StopFake
Johanna MöhringA senior fellow of the Institute for Statecraft
Esteban Gonzáles PonsSpanish politician and member of the Integrity Initiative
Andy PryceHead of 'Counter Disinformation and Media Development' at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in London
Tim Reilly
Greg Rowett"Information warfare specialist" at the Institute For Statecraft
James SherrMember of the Institute for Statecraft, Chatham House, RUSI Director
José Ignacio TorreblancaSpanish journalist, member of the Integrity Initiative. Director of the European Council on Foreign Relations Office in Madrid
James WilsonInstitute for Statecraft connected lawyer
Andy WoodUK Ambassador to Russia (1995-2000), Institute for Statecraft...

 

Events Planned

EventStartEndLocation(s)Description
Cold War Then and Now?13 October 2018 09:30:0013 October 2018 16:30:00London
City of London School
UK
A free conference that appears to have been part of a broader campaign by the Institute for Statecraft to promote Cold War 2.0.
Reframing Russia1 June 201731 May 2020University of ManchesterAn IfS/II discussed project about "The RT Challenge" which was publicly launched in 2019, not under the II/IfS name.
Tackling Tools of Malign Influence1 November 20182 November 2018London
Frontline Club
Integrity Initiative conference about "Russian Propaganda"
Workshop on Identifying and Combating Disinformation in Big Data13 December 2018 08:00:0013 December 2018 12:00:00US
Seattle

 

Sponsors

EventDescription
UK/FCOThe UK government department dealing with foreign policy.
WhistleblowersUKUK group chaired since November 2015 by the former Institute for Statecraft head of security, Tom Lloyd.

 

Related Documents

TitleTypePublication dateAuthor(s)Description
Document:5 July Seminar; Potential guest list for discussionspooky seminar invitation list26 February 2016Integrity InitiativeSeminar with a mix of media, academics and lots of spooks
Document:Avisa Partners Presentationcompany presentationJune 2016Avisa PartnersThis is very revealing but more official presentation of the company's influence work. Compare with the dirty tricks in Document:Combatting Russian Disinformation
Document:Beware the Cult of Cadwalladrblog post22 January 2022Craig MurrayThe present libel trial between Arron Banks and Carole Cadwalladr is therefore a struggle between two deeply unpleasant people. Cadwalladr’s lies, in my view, are political and still come within the realm of free speech. I support her right to say it, just as I support my right to denounce and expose her as an utterly unprincipled and fraudulent tool of the security services.
Document:Bid for MoD Funding 2017-2018project proposal14 March 2017Integrity Initiative"Creation of a Europe-wide network of groups who understand the danger of Russian active measures and who can pass the message on to their own decision-makers and public, often using material which we initiate"
Document:Chris Donnelly Paris Brussels May 2016 v2report13 December 2018Chris DonnellyChris Donnelly talks to his French II connections. "They think our main target needs to be the parts of the political class and the security structures 'where the rot is'"... "As an independent NGO we can do things they can’t do and national governments can’t do"
Document:Combatting Russian DisinformationreportJune 2016Avisa PartnersA truly astonishing II document, with a lot of dirty methods. It is written by an established covert French propaganda network, spreading more than a 1000 stories a month, offering to work for II. "our ability to publish articles across hundreds of credible media outlets means that any campaign we undertake will have far more sway than the content published only on state-sponsored outlets RT and Sputnik, and their local few allies."
Document:How To Spot A Twitter TrollWikispooks Page2 July 2019Craig MurrayExposure is the simple way to nullify the vast state propaganda programmes on social media
Document:How to spot a Twitter trollblog post2 July 2019Craig MurrayExposure is the simple way to nullify the vast state propaganda programmes on social media
Document:II Twitter performance January 2018success analysis14 March 2017Chris DonnellyOur total number of Twitter followers was 328 as of 18th January.
Document:Integrity Francereport25 June 2018Integrity Initiativea partial list of II-France members. For complete list, see Integrity Initiative/Cluster/France
Document:Integrity Initiative Budget for the 12 months ending 31 March 2019Budget and activity plan2 November 2018Integrity InitiativeBudget outlining how Integrity Initiative is going to control the information space, and influence policy-makers, specialists and media.
Document:Invoice to MoD for Ukrainian Visitsuccess analysis22 November 2017Chris DonnellyInvoice from Institute of Statecraft to the Ministry of Defence for Ukrainian visit to London
Document:Monthly Accountsaccounts22 November 2017Chris DonnellyThe Monthly Accounts for the Integrity Initiative, somewhat in the startup phase
Document:Muellergate and the Discreet Lies of the BourgeoisieBlog post1 April 2019Craig MurrayThe capacity of the mainstream media repeatedly to promote the myth that Russia caused Clinton’s defeat, while never mentioning what the information was that had been so damaging to Hillary, should be alarming to anybody under the illusion that we have a working “free media”.
Document:Notes from David Leask meeting 27 March 2018strategy document27 March 2018Chris DonnellyIntegrity Initiative convinced Scottish 'fringe' nationalism is a Kremlin plot caused by RT and Sputnik; intends to influence to tie Scotland to NATO, England wants to keep media and political dominance
Document:Novara Media and the Integrity Initiativeweb pagePhil BevinA critical review of Novara Media and their unlikely connections to the Integrity Initiative
Document:Novichok, Navalny, Nordstream, Nonsenseblog post3 September 2020Craig MurrayThe US and Saudi Arabia have every reason to instigate a split between Germany and Russia at this time. Navalny is certainly a victim of international politics. That he is a victim of Putin I tend to doubt.
Document:Project Proposal Integrity Initiative 2017-18budget application and plan27 April 2017Chris DonnellyBudget proposal for a secret influence network that will protect "the Western system of democratic values"..."against attack by those powers who would seek to overturn our system and all it stands for," no less.
Document:Project Title INTEGRITY INITIATIVE Phase IIbudget application and plan27 April 2017Chris DonnellyProject application for phase II of Integrity Initiative
Document:The Challenge of Brexit to the UKstrategy document2 January 2018Chris Donnelly"So, if we consider what qualities and characteristics we need in those whom we select for leadership today, in a period of rapid and profound change, in all sorts of institutions – government departments, big companies, the NHS - the conclusion is that we need to look for people who have abilities that suit a wartime environment"... Leadership understands that in a period of tumultuous change you cannot control, you have to command..."
Document:The Institute for Statecraft Expert Team v 3name list13 December 2018Chris Donnellybiographies of core team members with lots of obscure but interesting former and present employers
Document:The Integrity Initiative Guide to Countering Russian Disinformationanalysis2 November 2018Integrity InitiativeA guide to Russian disinformation, an ideological prep guide for dedicated II operatives
Document:The Network of Networksanalysis30 May 18 JLChris DonnellyA handbook for Integrity Initiative activities, including starting clusters
Document:The Russian Party in FrancereportJune 2016Françoise ThomEveryone in France not following the strict pro-American NATO-line is a "linchpin of the Russian networks" because "we are dealing with a strategy of pre-conquest."
Document:Top 3 deliverables/achievements of phase 1Wikispooks Page2 November 2018An interesting document describing US parts of the network; NATO General Secretary Stoltenberg and other high level contacts;silencing pro-kremlin voices on Serbian TV; Spanish operation to fire Pedro Baños
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References

  1. https://sputniknews.com/analysis/201812131070655802-integrity-initiative-intelligence-disinformation/
  2. https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2018/12/british-security-service-infiltration-the-integrity-initiative-and-the-institute-for-statecraft/ Craig Murray's Blog , December 2018
  3. http://radio4all.net/index.php/program/101001
  4. a b https://www.rt.com/news/449451-integrity-initiative-deletes-content/
  5. https://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2018-12-12a.285.0
  6. a b http://syriapropagandamedia.org/working-papers/briefing-note-on-the-integrity-initiative#first-tranche-released-5-november-2018
  7. http://syriapropagandamedia.org/working-papers/briefing-note-on-the-integrity-initiative
  8. https://web.archive.org/web/20181216141442/https://www.integrityinitiative.net/articles/demolishing-kremlins-absurd-theories-about-novichok-and-porton-down
  9. http://anoniem.org?https://www.integrityinitiative.net/articles/review-skripal-files-mark-urban
  10. https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/01/07/inte-j07.html?Ref=Reddit_Intelligence
  11. https://sputniknews.com/europe/201812121070612795-integrity-initiative-williamson-inquiry/
  12. https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2018/12/british-security-service-infiltration-the-integrity-initiative-and-the-institute-for-statecraft/
  13. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/labour-attack-government-funded-body-13709313
  14. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/labour-attack-government-funded-body-13709313
  15. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jan/09/free-societies-russia-misinformation-integrity-initiative
  16. https://off-guardian.org/2019/01/08/dads-armys-cover-blown/
  17. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Integrity_Initiative&action=history
  18. https://www.rt.com/uk/449518-integrity-initiative-twitter-protected/
  19. https://www.rt.com/news/449451-integrity-initiative-deletes-content/ RT , 22 January 2019
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