# Detection of Induced Activity in Social Networks: Model and Methodology
###### Abstract  
This paper examines the problem of social media special operations and especially induced support in social media during political election campaigns. The theoretical background of the paper is based on the study fake activity in social networks during pre-election processes and the existing models and methods of detection of such activity. The article proposes a methodology for identifying and diagnosing induced support for a political project. The methodology includes a model of induced activity, an algorithm for segmenting the audience of a political project, and a technique for detecting and diagnosing induced support. The proposed methodology provides identification of network combatants, participants of social media special operations, influencing public opinion in the interests of a political project. The methodology can be used to raise awareness of the electorate, the public, and civil society in general about the presence of artificial activity on the page of a political project. network operations; network combatants; social bots; social network analysis; induced activity; induced activity detection; election campaigns +
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public opinion in order to form positions and assessments beneficial to the manipulator [9; 10]. From our point of view, within the framework of general theoretical approaches to the analysis of the processes of manipulation of public opinion in the digital environment, it is necessary to expand and clarify the terminological apparatus. In particular, we propose to use a subjective approach and introduce the concept of a special information operation implemented in social networks (Social Media Special Operations). To solve this problem, we borrow the concept of special operations from the theory of wars and the art of war. There, special operations are defined as \"special missions to achieve strategic goals in which the use of conventional armed forces would create unacceptable risks. Overcoming these risks requires special operations forces...\" [11]. In line with this approach, we further suggest that Social Media Special Operations could be defined as a set of coordinated technological solutions implemented by software and means of social engineering that covertly manage the co-consciousness and behavior (both online and offline) of social media users for the benefit of political actors. Among such special operations we suggest to include operations on giving the users an impression or image of large public network support for certain political projects. This illusion creates a high online reputation for these projects and psychologically encourages those who have not yet formed their attitudes to join the majority and support these projects. We propose that special network operations of this type be labelled as operations to generate the illusion of public support or operations to generate induced support for a political project. This interpretation of Social Media Special Operations makes them one of the technologies used for manipulating public opinion in the digital environment. We propose the term Network Combatants (NC or Combatants). These are active and specifically engaged participants in conflicts or special operations in social media. They could be bots as well as real people who deliberately carry out their activities, in some cases for compensation. The use of the term stems from a basic understanding of Combatants as persons taking a direct part in the combat operations of armed forces during an armed conflict [12; 13]. In the case of international conflicts, the Geneva Convention is known to give combatants a special status [14]. In the case of information confrontations on social media, NC confront the so-called \"online citizenry\".