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26 Discerning disinformation is tricky business. It amounts to performing a mental biopsy on the pathological underpinnings of a suspect source. It helps to have a well-honed intuition that can detect pretense, after which critical thinking converges on the exact problem. Problems tend to be false assumptions, ignored counterexamples, logical fallacies, and ulterior motives. More specifically, alien disinformation plays to these common psychological vulnerabilities: lazy thinking, ego insecurities and the desire to be special, naive optimism that leads good intentions down a dangerous path, greater respect for credibility and author- ity than personal discernment and intuition, wishful thinking, desperation for answers and consequent lowering of standards, wonderment at amazing but superficial appearances to the point of gullibility, and desire for escapism out of sheer boredom. Since the goal is to influence opinion, the best disinformation is concise, slick, and persuasive. It maximizes credibility by taking whatever form of authority the target respects most and is careful to dispel suspicions that the source is doing it for fame or finan- cial gain. It is false to assume that if someone risks publishing revelatory information without asking anything in return, he must be sincere; on the contrary, what disinformation asks for in return is belief in its half-truths. ‘The best disinformation so tidily packages its deceptions that the containing story can be impressively concise, charming, en- tertaining, and easy to follow. It goes beyond mere logical fallacies and employs hypnotic techniques to massage the targeted mind into accepting the payload. These manipulation tactics are noth- ing exotic. Psychological warfare specialists, street magicians, neurolinguistic programmers, and advertisers make regular use of them in their professions. Disinformation must ideally exploit the deepest desires, inse- curities, and blind spots of the target, which necessarily vary by audience type. The originators of disinformation therefore use different methods and sources to appeal to different audiences. In DISCERNING ALIEN DISINFORMATION Discerning Disinformation