死間者爲誑事於外令吾間知之而傳於敵
Sun Tzu
This quote from Sun Tzu suggests that a strategy for deception in warfare is to intentionally send out spies who are “doomed” or likely to be discovered by the enemy. These spies are given false information to report to the enemy when they are captured and questioned. The purpose of this strategy is to deceive the enemy by leading them to believe false information. This can be done by “doing certain things openly for purposes of deception,” or by making it known to the enemy that the doomed spies are working for the opposing side. The idea is that the enemy will be more likely to believe the false information if it appears to be openly and intentionally given to the doomed spies, rather than being covertly obtained through secret means.
A doomed source is a person or entity that is likely to be discovered by the enemy and used as a source of intelligence. Sun Tzu advises that a wise general should give false information to the doomed source in order to deceive the enemy. This false information is intended to mislead the enemy about the general’s strategies and plans, and if the enemy acts on this false information, it can give the general an advantage by causing the enemy to pursue avenues that are not in their best interests. Sun Tzu stresses the importance of using all available resources, including intelligence and deception, to gain an advantage in battle.
Having doomed sources, we intentionally give them false information to report to our competitors when they are questioned, in order to deceive and mislead them about our strategies and plans.
In a business context, a doomed source is an individual or entity that is likely to be discovered and used as a source of information by a competitor. In order to deceive the competitor and gain an advantage, a business should consider giving false information to the doomed source. This false information is intended to mislead the competitor about the business’s strategies and plans, and if the competitor acts on this false information, it can give the business an advantage by causing the competitor to pursue avenues that are not in their best interests. By using all available resources, including intelligence and deception, a business can gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace.