Manipulation through Online Sexual Behavior: Exemplifying the Importance of Human Factor in Intelligence and Counterintelligence in the Big Data Era
Matthieu J. Guitton · The International Journal of Intelligence Security and Public Affairs · 2019
As we spend more and more time online, Internet-based virtual spaces are becoming a central component of our daily life and activities. This shift of human activities from offline to online spaces has major impacts for national security. Consequently, cyberspace became a new field of operation for intelligence and counter-intelligence services worldwide. While massive efforts are made to further strategies based on surveys and analyses of large datasets, cybersecurity protocols can be impacted tremendously by individual behaviors. This is particularly the case of online sexual behavior, which can be easily manipulated by malevolent agents. This paper will describe some of the general characteristics of sexual cyberbehaviors. We will then identify some of the main threats related to sexual cyberbehavior (specifically risks of blackmailing, risks associated with the use of online dating sites, and risks associated with the consumption of online pornography), as well as the main targets in terms of population from an intelligence/counter-intelligence perspective. Finally, we will propose some possible counter-measures, that could be implemented to reduce the security risks related to online sexual behavior.