In a world where information and disinformation are controlling the narrative, having the capability to get messages out there is critical for governments and law enforcement agencies. Adversaries are becoming more proficient at erecting digital walls to block out information, a new and upcoming company is helping its customers to anonymously distribute sensitive information, messages and content, to a potentially global audience, in any country.
An interview with founder Isua Botman
Q: What in your opinion drives the need for governments to spread information in countries other than their own?
A: Governments may have a variety of reasons for spreading information in countries other than their own, including promoting their own interests, building relationships with other countries, addressing global issues that affect multiple countries, advancing human rights and democracy, providing aid and assistance, and sharing information on scientific and technological developments. It could be a positive message encouraging people abroad to consider their country for their next holiday, but it can also be used to provide information on laws affecting entities abroad. It’s not just national governmental bodies that have this need. Law enforcement agencies and NGO’s also have a need to get their messages out in a discrete way.
Additionally, governments may want to assess and control the flow of information into a certain area or gather intelligence on a specific audience. This is also an area where our technology can be effectively leveraged.
Q:In which countries is it the hardest to spread information and pursue freedom of press?
A: It is difficult to provide a definitive answer to this question because the difficulty of spreading sensitive information can depend on a variety of factors, such as the political climate, level of censorship, and the effectiveness of government surveillance and control. However, countries that are known for having strict censorship and surveillance regimes, such as North Korea, Syria, China, Iran, Yemen, Turkey, Russia and Saudi Arabia, may pose particular challenges for spreading sensitive information. Additionally, countries that are currently experiencing conflict or political instability may also make it difficult to disseminate information due to violence, instability, and insecurity.
Q.to which extent is freedom of the press limited in these countries and how are these limits enforced?
A. In countries with strict censorship and surveillance regimes such as North Korea, China, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, freedom of the press is often heavily limited or non-existent. In these countries, the media is often heavily controlled by the government, and journalists who report on sensitive or critical issues may face imprisonment, physical harm, or even death.
In China, for example, the government heavily censors news and information through a combination of legal restrictions, internet filtering, and surveillance. In North Korea, there is no independent press, and the government strictly controls all information that is disseminated to the public. In Iran, the government also heavily censors the media and frequently arrests journalists who report on sensitive or critical issues. In Saudi Arabia, the government has jailed and tortured journalists who report on sensitive issues such as human rights violations.
Enforcement of these restrictions can take many forms, including imprisonment, physical harm, or death. In some cases, governments may use legal means to silence journalists, such as charging them with vague and broadly defined crimes such as “spreading false news” or “undermining national security.” In other cases, governments may rely on extralegal means, such as physical violence or harassment, to intimidate and silence journalists. Additionally, governments may monitor the internet and social media to identify and punish those who disseminate sensitive information online.
Q How is Anthalon capable of spreading (sensitive) information in almost every country in the world?
We use a variety of programmatic advertising techniques – either proprietary or SAAS based – that enable us to serve information on devices of people living in these hard to reach areas. There is an abundance of interrelated technologies, companies and other stakeholders in this world of online communication. We leverage our knowledge of the various powers and decision makers and combine that with state of the art technology which allows us to directly engage and interface with an enormous number of publishers, exchanges and other parties that are able to get messages out. If desired, our clients receive access to a dashboard that shows all campaign metrics and results.
Q How does an individual in such a country receive this kind of (sensitive) information?
That’s very simple, by using the internet. Information may appear between news articles or in an utility app or perhaps a game. Everything is facilitated by the principles of programmatic advertising and real-time bidding on a large number of international ad exchanges. In apps we use, the newsfeed on our phones and the websites we visit, there are places for us to deliver our clients’ messages. Almost anything is possible with the right know-how and technical abilities. Some of our clients’ projects call for the use of social media platforms to access a specific audience. Now don’t instantly think of the first social media platforms that come to mind. For us the smaller, local and more obscure players prove the most value when targeting audiences. These networks provide a great deal of flexibility when compared to their well-established counterparts. It may not be as easy as getting messages out on any Meta or Google app, but for the needs of our clients these networks can be perfectly suited.
Q What targeting mechanisms can be used by deploying programmatic advertising campaigns – that are useful to government agencies?
Governments and government agencies may use programmatic advertising to serve targeted messages to specific audiences. Some of the targeting mechanisms that can be useful to government agencies include.
Geographic targeting: This allows government agencies to target messages to specific regions or countries where they want to reach a particular audience. The accuracy/precision is profound and can be as detailed as 100 meters. Behavioral targeting: This enables agencies to target messages to users who have shown an interest in specific topics or have visited certain websites. Contextual targeting: This allows agencies to target messages to users who are currently reading or watching content related to a particular topic. Demographic targeting: This allows agencies to target messages to users based on their age, gender, location, or other demographic information. Device targeting: This enables agencies to target messages to users based on the type of device they are using, such as mobile phones, tablets, or desktop computers.
It is important to note that while programmatic advertising can be used by government agencies to reach specific audiences, they must also comply with local laws and regulations governing advertising, data privacy, and surveillance. Additionally, there may be ethical considerations around using programmatic advertising for political messaging and propaganda, and the use of programmatic advertising by governments has been the subject of debate and controversy. Its worth noting that for example because of the existence of Starlink, people can bypass certain locally imposed restrictions and roam the internet freely.
Q How can you guarantee anonymity for your clients?
A. Discretion is our business model. Our clients value this. It also enables us to be the trusted party to the entities we rely on to get our messages out. Where some parties are blacklisted and thus limited from using their platforms for messaging, we are able to get through and get our messages shared. We of course abide by all the rules and legislations of the territories we operate in but we have a lot more flexibility than the clients we serve.
Q Are there campaign needs from certain clients that you refuse to fulfil?
Absolutely. We don’t accept campaigns that fuel violence or endanger innocent people. Our core value is that the campaigns we run are in (strong) favor of human rights, peace, democracy and – in general – stimulate freedom of press.
Want to learn more? www.anthalon.com //engage@anthalon.com
Source: SubmitMyPR
Release ID: 540991
Original Source of the original story >> Anthalon – Deploy Information in Any Country