The Editors, Scientific American, September 2019https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/everyone-is-an-agent-in-the-new-information-warfare/ No one thinks, I am the kind of person who is susceptible to misinformation. It is those others (stupid anti-vaxxers! arrogant liberal elites!) who are swayed by propaganda masquerading as news and bot armies pushing partisan agendas on Twitter. But recent disinformation campaigns—especially ones that originate with coordinated agencies in Russia or China—have […]Read More

Clare Duffy, August 18 2019, CNN https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/18/tech/advertising-disinformation-money-reliable-sources/index.html. New York (CNN Business)As the United States gears up for another presidential election, aware of the role online disinformation played in 2016, the business of publishing false or extremist content online remains a lucrative one.  At least $235 million in revenue is generated annually from ads running on extremist and disinformation websites, […]Read More

Kate Conger, August 19th 2019, New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/19/technology/hong-kong-protests-china-disinformation-facebook-twitter.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage SAN FRANCISCO — China has adopted Russia’s playbook for spreading disinformation on Facebook and Twitter, deploying those tactics in its increasingly heated information war over the protests that have convulsed Hong Kong. In recent weeks, Facebook and Twitter accounts that originated in China acted in a coordinated fashion […]Read More

Our Take The Kremlin’s operatives are adept at jumping on divisive narratives in the news cycle, with the goal of dividing Americans, noted Director Laura Rosenberger in the Washington Post. The United States should pay greater attention to Russia’s use of economic coercion and malign financial influence to further its political objectives, suggested Director Laura Rosenberger on MSNBC. Sophisticated psychological measures such […]Read More

RussiaThe Global Machine Behind the Rise of Far-Right Nationalism | Jo Becker | New York Times (Editor's Note: If you missed this when it ran last weekend, read it now. One of the finest examples of journalism about disinformation we've seen.)Time to Shed More Light on Russian Harassment of NATO Forces’ Families | Keir Giles | Chatham HouseThe Kremlin […]Read More

Michael Rühle, August 16th 2019, NATO Defense College https://css.ethz.ch/en/services/digital-library/articles/article.html/57b662f0-3f49-4d32-9ac2-11e4aa79ffdc Michael Rühle writes that following Russia’s use of hybrid warfare in Ukraine, it wouldn’t take long before the Western strategic community would examine how to best deter hybrid threats. After all, deterrence was the central paradigm of Western security throughout the Cold War. However, Rühle contends […]Read More

Jack Corrigan, August 6th 2019, NextGov https://www.nextgov.com/emerging-tech/2019/08/darpa-taking-deepfake-problem/158980/ The Defense Department is looking to build tools that can quickly detect deepfakes and other manipulated media amid the growing threat of “large-scale, automated disinformation attacks.” The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency on Tuesday announced it would host a proposers day for an upcoming initiative focused on curbing […]Read More

Wired Opinion, August 15th 2019, https://www.wired.com/story/ai-algorithms-need-drug-trials/ IMAGINE A COUPLE of caffeine-addled biochemistry majors late at night in their dorm kitchen cooking up a new medicine that proves remarkably effective at soothing colds but inadvertently causes permanent behavioral changes. Those who ingest it become radically politicized and shout uncontrollably in casual conversation. Still, the concoction sells to billions of […]Read More

Bill Roche, Army Cyber Command August 7th, 2019 https://www.army.mil/article/225430/summit_helps_chart_way_ahead_for_maneuver_in_information_environment Senior leaders from active and reserve component organizations across the joint force came together to further the development of capabilities for maneuver in the Information Environment during the Total Army Senior Leader Information Warfare (IW) Summit hosted by U.S. Army Cyber Command (ARCYBER) at Fort Belvoir, […]Read More

Our Take: Online platforms should conduct takedowns in a clear and consistent manner,rather than in response to intermittent public pressure, Fellow for Emerging Technologies Lindsay Gorman told the Washington Post.  To close tempting entry points for illicit actors, including foreign governments attempting to interfere in the American political process, the United States should raise money laundering enforcement and […]Read More