{"product_id":"digital-authoritarianism-in-the-middle-east","title":"Digital Authoritarianism in the Middle East","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA probing study of how the Gulf's authoritarian regimes hoodwink citizens across the world in digital propaganda wars.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e‘By the time readers arrive at the end of Jones’s astonishing examination of social media in the Middle East, they will be completely persuaded that it is now impossible to tell whether anything they read online is true.’ — \u003cem\u003eForeign Affairs\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYou are being lied to by people who don't even exist.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDigital deception is the new face of information warfare. Social media has been weaponised by states and commercial entities alike, as bots and trolls proliferate and users are left to navigate an infodemic of fake news and disinformation. In the Persian Gulf and the wider Middle East, where authoritarian regimes continue to innovate and adapt in the face of changing technology, online deception has reached new levels of audacity.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom pro-Saudi entities that manipulate the tweets of the US president, to the activities of fake journalists and Western PR companies that whitewash human rights abuses, Marc Owen Jones' meticulous investigative research uncovers the full gamut of tactics used by Gulf regimes and their allies to deceive domestic and international audiences. In an age of global deception, this book charts the lengths bad actors will go to when seeking to impose their ideology and views on citizens around the world.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57613199442293,"sku":"9781805267614","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781805267614.jpg?v=1790608002","url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/products\/digital-authoritarianism-in-the-middle-east","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}