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Other literature type . 2025
License: CC BY
Data sources: ZENODO
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Other literature type . 2025
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
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MindWare: A Sociotechnical Cognitive Middleware for Countering Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior

Authors: Vasireddy, Prithvi;

MindWare: A Sociotechnical Cognitive Middleware for Countering Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior

Abstract

The proliferation of Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior (CIB)—specifically the deployment of malicious bot-farms and bot-herds—presents a unique challenge to modern information ecosys- tems. These entities do not merely spread falsehoods; they exploit the cognitive heuristics of human users to manufacture consensus. Traditional defenses against CIB have historically relied on an algorithm-centered paradigm, prioritizing automated detection systems that operate as "black boxes" to classify actors as authentic/ inauthentic. However, this technological determinism faces an inherent "arms race" dilemma: as detection algorithms improve, adversarial actors evolve more sophisticated meth- ods to evade them, creating a perpetual cycle of concealment and detection that often leaves the human user—the ultimate target of influence operations—vulnerable and disempowered. This report proposes "MindWare," a cognitive middleware designed to interrupt the social heuristics exploited by bot networks. MindWare leverages Seamful Design to strategically re- veal the "seams"—the rough edges, inconsistencies, and infrastructural gaps—of digital inter- actions. It operationalizes Social Transparency through a "4W Framework" (Who, What, When, Why) to render the invisible provenance of information visible. By transforming the implicit so- cial signals of CIB (e.g., temporal coordination, network clustering) into explicit visual cues, MindWare acts as a cognitive middleware layer. It disrupts the cognitive heuristics — specifi- cally bandwagon, authority, similarity, and social presence effects—that bot networks exploit to bypass critical thinking. This report details the theoretical underpinnings, system architecture, and evaluation tenets of MindWare, offering a comprehensive blueprint for a resilience-based approach to information integrity.

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selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
0
Average
Average
Average
Green