Data opublikowania preprintu na stronie SSRN: 7 stycznia 2026

Contemporary information ecologies, as defined by Nardi and O'Day (1999), are undergoing rapid degradation due to the influx of "invasive species" in the form of synthetic, AI-generated content. Current defence mechanisms-primarily binary cryptographic verification (e.g., C2PA)-are insufficient because they treat trust as a technical certificate rather than a systemic social relation. This paper proposes a novel theoretical framework: "Digital Tradecraft." By adapting established principles from Human Intelligence (HUMINT) operations-specifically Strategic Vulnerability, Cognitive Friction, and Legend Construction-we argue that provenance systems must evolve. Instead of offering an illusion of sterile, binary truth, User Interfaces (UI) must become tools that support the "immunological resilience" of the user. Viewed through the lens of Information Ecology, Digital Tradecraft is not manipulation, but a necessary environmental adaptation that allows human agents to regain agency in a polluted infosphere.