Cybernetic Elves
A conflict between the dark armies of the trolls and the heroic forces of the elves will determine the future of humanity. This is not the plot of a new fantasy book, but a fairly accurate description of the clashes that take place in virtual space every day. The so-called "cyber elves" are a special kind of cyber activists who fight against lies and misinformation and, of course, internet trolls. And not only in the online environment but also in the real "offline" world.
The Elf Movement was founded by a handful of enthusiasts in Lithuania in 2014 and by 2022 has grown to 14 countries in Central and Eastern Europe. The group currently has around 4,000 members, some of whom are from the Czech Republic. They use the most modern methods and the latest technological weapons to fight - including open-source intelligence and memetic warfare.
In this lecture, you will learn about the phenomenon of cyberactivism and the reasons for its growing importance in public life in the 1920s. We will then focus on one of the most secretive cyber underground movements ever - the cyber elves. We'll talk about their history, their workings, and the missions they embark on to combat disinformation. You will also learn about the main opponents of the elves - internet trolls. You will learn about their role in the information war and the ways in which they abuse modern technologies (such as artificial intelligence, big data, targeted advertising, etc.). Finally, we will show you practical examples of the harmful impact of misinformation on Czech and multinational companies. You can also look forward to practical tips to help you support cyberactivism and better combat disinformation and lies in virtual space.
The lecture is thus directly related to the main theme of the conference - it emphasizes the role of the human being as a victim or hero in an increasingly digitalized world and the related information and cyber conflicts.
Adéla Klečková
Adéla focuses on conflicts in cyberspace and cyberactivism. She graduated summa cum laude from the School of War Studies at King's College London. She has led research projects on cyber and information operations for international organizations and institutions such as the European Parliament and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. With the support of the US think tank German Marshall Fund, as part of ReThink CEE, she wrote the first research paper of its kind on the pan-European cyber elf movement. She is a member of the Digital Sherlocks (a group of experts in open-source intelligence) and a graduate of the course of the same name organized by the Atlantic Council think tank. For her research activities, she was included in the list of 35 young technology leaders by the Spanish think-tank CIDOB.