Active Measures

Archival Summary & Scope

Thomas Rid, a leading expert in national security, offers a revelatory history of organized disinformation, or "active measures." Tracing its evolution from the interwar period to contemporary internet troll farms, Rid draws on multi-language intelligence materials and interviews with operatives to expose shocking secrets behind a century of professional deception. From White Russian plots and KGB anti-Semitic campaigns to CIA-backed fake publishing empires and the early exploitation of internet culture, the book reveals how these operations have consistently aimed to weaken trust in facts and liberal democracy. Shedding new light on the 2016 election and the infamous St. Petersburg "troll farm," *Active Measures* provides essential insights into engineered polarization and tools to navigate an increasingly deceptive world.