Our Take Participating in our democracy is one important way to protect it, argued Director Laura Rosenberger in an interview with the Bertelsmann Foundation. Political leaders on both sides of the aisle must come together to secure American elections, Head of Policy and Research Jessica Brandt told ABC7 News. Moscow seeks to undermine Americans’ confidence in the election system and […]Read More

Russell Hsiao, July 16 2019, China Brief from the Jamestown Foundation. https://jamestown.org/program/a-preliminary-survey-of-ccp-influence-operations-in-singapore/ Editor’s note: Our previous issue contained an article by Russell Hsiao that profiled institutions and methods employed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to cultivate influence in Japan (A Preliminary Survey of CCP Influence Operations in Japan, June 26, 2019). In this issue, Mr. […]Read More

Joshua Kurlantzick, July 29th 2019, Council on Foreign Relations blog https://www.cfr.org/blog/chinas-soft-and-sharp-power-strategies-southeast-asia-accelerating-are-they-having-impact In a recent analysis for the Jamestown Foundation, Russell Hsiao of the Global Taiwan Institute presented a thorough and compelling case of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) influence operations in Singapore. Singapore is a critical state for China in Southeast Asia, given the outsized role Singapore plays […]Read More

Harper Neidig, August 1st 2019, The Hill. https://thehill.com/policy/technology/455774-facebook-takes-down-saudi-linked-disinformation-network. Facebook’s Press Release –> https://newsroom.fb.com/news/2019/08/cib-uae-egypt-saudi-arabia/ Facebook said Thursday that it had removed an online disinformation campaign with ties to the Saudi government that was aimed at spreading propaganda across the Middle East. It’s the first time Facebook has revealed any Saudi-linked efforts to spread disinformation on its […]Read More

Lisa Kaplan, July 23rd 2019, Brookingshttps://www.brookings.edu/blog/techtank/2019/07/23/four-steps-to-stop-the-spread-of-disinformation-online/ The public discussion of disinformation often focuses on targeted candidates, without recognizing that disinformation actually targets voters. In the case of elections, actors both foreign and domestic are trying to influence whether or not you as an individual vote, and for whom to cast your ballot. The effort goes farther than elections: it […]Read More

Kate Starbird, 24 July 2019, Naturehttps://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-02235-x Misconceptions about disinformation leave us vulnerable to manipulation online, says Kate Starbird. Earlier this month, the White House hosted a ‘Social Media Summit’ that served to reframe and distract from serious, hostile manipulation of online discourse. Much ink has already been spilt on the algorithms, business models and human […]Read More

Our Take: In testimony to Congress last week, former Special Counsel Robert Mueller highlighted the scope of the threat posed by Russian interference, Director Laura Rosenberger emphasized for NPR and in Just Security. On NPR’s All Things Considered, Non-Resident Fellow Clint Watts argued that the erosion and subversion of our democracy is Putin’s long-term goal. On MSNBC, Watts urged the U.S. to secure its […]Read More

April 2019, The Law Library of Congress, Global Legal Research Directoratehttp://www.law.gov or https://fas.org/irp/eprint/lloc-fake-news.pdf This report examines the legal approaches of fifteen countries, representing all regions of the world, to the emerging problem of manipulation with “fake news” using mass and social media, especially the impact of fake news on ongoing political processes and elections, and […]Read More

Startups and government agencies are researching ways to combat doctored images ahead of the 2020 election Abigail Summerville, July 27th 2019, Wall Street Journal Startup companies, government agencies and academics are racing to combat so-called deepfakes, amid fears that doctored videos and photographs will be used to sow discord ahead of next year’s U.S. presidential […]Read More

Russia Russian Active Measures Campaigns and Interference in the 2016 US Election | Senate Committee on Intelligence  Russia’s Prepared to Interfere in 2020. Will the U.S. Be Ready? | Stanley McChrystal & David Eichenbaum | Politico  Not Just the Russians Anymore It’s Not Just The Russians Anymore As Iranians and Others Turn Up Disinformation Efforts Ahead Of 2020 Vote | […]Read More