The open nature of the internet has led to the "unprecedented free flow of information". As a result, there is a gray area between cyber attacks that can be classified as formal military action or a more subtle attack that isn't an incite for formal retaliation. Organizations such as the Department of Defense are gaining increasing power in addressing the role of cyberspace in military and are currently undergoing actions to classify certain attacks. Additionally, there is a push for ruling bodies to regulate and educate governments and users on how to focus technical resources and respond to potential attacks. The DoD has defined attacks against governments as "information operations" and "influence operations". Information operations are meant to obtain information about how a country operates which may or may not be used maliciously, and thus should be treated with caution when states choose to retaliate. Influence operations on the other hand are clear intentions of states to manipulate citizens or ruling bodies into performing actions valuable for the belligerent. These operations include propaganda and vote tampering. These influence operations should be treated as more akin to declarations of conflict.