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Countering digital threats in conflict-affected states

In vulnerable nations and during conflicts, adverse actors often exploit instability and uncertainty via a ‘digital front’ to advance their strategic objectives.

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Barbedwire

The digital frontline

Adverse actors such as hostile foreign states and violent extremists are increasingly adept at using digital capabilities to exploit communication and power vacuums in conflict-affected nations.

Typical goals of hostile actors include destabilising power structures, disrupting peace processes or efforts at conflict mediation, and manipulating election outcomes. Their activities also include fundraising for violent militias and cyber-spying on human-rights activists.

From coordinating hostile-influence operations, to inciting harmful activities toward vulnerable demographics, threat actors deploy a range of digital weaponry that exacerbates conflict, polarises communities and causes real-world harm.

Countering threats, empowering clients

We successfully identify, map, and attribute adversarial digital activities and campaigns run by threat actors, providing clients with valuable insights.

Our work extends beyond raising clients’ awareness. We empower clients with the knowledge required to navigate the digital threat landscape, developing employees’ investigative skills, supporting the development of social media codes of conduct, and helping create public education and awareness campaigns about hostile influence operations, disinformation and hate speech.

Mapping the landscape

Our geopolitical insights and language skills help us to accurately assess digital threats, focusing on key perpetrators and vulnerable communities.

Raising awareness

We work with nation states and those engaged on-the-ground to ensure the digital landscape informs real-world intervention.

Generating impact

We help stakeholders to partner effectively with social-media platforms to remove harmful networks and counter hostile activities.

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Unrivalled geopolitical expertise

PGI is an industry leader in countering digital threats in conflict-affected and vulnerable states. We combine deep geopolitical expertise and country knowledge with a global understanding of the adversarial use of digital infrastructure, such as covert fundraising or commercial spyware.

We have carried out complex investigations in 60 languages and 80 countries, including in 40 conflict-affected states. We work with on-the-ground conflict-mediation teams, international donors and NGOs, as well as nation states, digital platforms and multilateral agencies, providing them with a comprehensive appraisal of threat actors and their behaviours, before identifying ways to reduce threat actors' online influence.

A profound understanding of context informs our approach at every stage. Fully aware of the risks and complexities of digital threats in conflict states and vulnerable countries, we always work sensitively and discretely.

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Our activities in the information environment

Countering adversarial organisations

Countering adversarial organisations

Adversarial organisations encompass a wide range of groups including violent extremists, armed militia, human traffickers and drug cartels. Together, they present a rapidly growing threat to online safety, exploiting the digital space to recruit and coordinate real-world harm at scale.

PGI works with clients to detect, protect, and build defences against adversarial organisations. Our unique process creates strategic advantages for clients looking to control the effects of threat groups.

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Partnering with you to ensure information integrity

Find out how we can help you understand and protect your information environment.

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