These documents show how the military supported Whitehall officials in monitoring the British public via the “Ministry of Truth”.
The first set of files are daily “Mis/Disinformation” daily reports produced by the 77th Brigade for the Cabinet Office, supposedly to monitor hostile state propaganda, but in reality show soldiers tracking narratives from MPs and the mainstream press. Big Brother Watch has asked for months worth of these files but only a handful appear to have survived.
The second set are documents outlining Ministry of Defence support to the Counter Disinformation Unit, then part of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, known as MACA [Military Aid to Civilian Authority] requests. Here officials acknowledge that military monitoring could look like “spying” or “psyops” and that the requests are controversial, but approve the operation anyway, while also revealing that intelligence troops from the RAF were also involved in the work.
77th Brigade for Cabinet Office Rapid Response Unit
DISMIS INFORMATION DAILY COVERING EMAIL FROM 77th BRIGADE 27/03/20
DISMIS DAILY REPORT COVID-19 27/03/20
DISMIS DAILY REPORT COVERING EMAIL FROM 77th BRIGADE 28/03/20
COVID-19 DISINFORMATION AND MISINOFMRATION DAILY REPORT 28/03/20
Military support for Counter Disinformation Unit
Request for Military Aid to the Civil Authorities 1
Request for Military Aid to the Civil Authorities 2
Request for Military Aid to the Civil Authorities 3
Request for Military Aid to the Civil Authorities 4