social engineering

Noun

social engineering (uncountable)

1. Use of numerical data to inform social programs.
   • The following discussion will use two examples - namely public housing and the social security scheme, the Central Provident Fund (CPF) - to illustrate the effects of distributing the fruits of economic development via social engineering projects.2006, Johnny Sung, Explaining the Economic Success of Singapore, →ISBN
   • In 1961, Russell Kirk provided a distillation of these conservative salvos against social engineering in a more public forum. In The New York Times Magazine, the political scientist and regular National Review columnist cited Pitirim Sorkin's call in Fads and Foibles for a balancing of the...2008, David Haney, The Americanization of Social Science, →ISBN, page 188
2. Efforts to influence attitudes and social behaviors on a large scale, in order to produce desired characteristics in a target population.
   • Madness, from this point of view, is not finally a medical phenomenon at all, but a phenomenon of social engineering, manipulation, and coercion, and of the politically motivated labeling of deviant behavior.1995, Daniel Berthold-Bond, Hegel's Theory of Madness, →ISBN, page 179
   • From one perspective, much of what goes on in every society's day-to-day operations qualifies as social engineering. One can view child rearing, schooling, military indoctrination and any other means of mobilizing bias as social engineering without doing violence to the concept.1996, Adam Podgórecki, Jon Alexander, Rob Shields, Social Engineering, →ISBN, page 9
3. (computer security) The practice of tricking a user into giving, or giving access to, sensitive information, thereby bypassing most or all protection.
   • Meronyms: smishing, phishing, vishing
   • TEISME can teach employees on how to recognise a possible social engineering attack.2005, Charles A. Shoniregun, Impacts and Risk Assessment of Technology for Internet Security, →ISBN, page 157