Patrick Tucker, Technology Editor, Defense One, March 31st, 2019 https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2019/03/next-phase-ai-deep-faking-whole-world-and-china-ahead/155944/ Step 1: Use AI to make undetectable changes to outdoor photos. Step 2: release them into the open-source world and enjoy the chaos. Worries about deep fakes — machine-manipulated videos of celebrities and world leaders purportedly saying or doing things that they really didn’t — […]Read More

Singapore has a Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Bill to combat fake news. Some reporting may be of interest: Parliament: Up to 10 years’ jail for individuals and $1 million fine for firms under draft law against online falsehoodsTham Yuen-C, Senior Political Correspondent, Strait Times, 1 April 2019Those who spread online falsehoods with a […]Read More

Our Take Following the conclusion of Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation, ASD published a fact sheet on Russian interference. As it illustrates, “Russian interference operations against the United States during the 2016 presidential election were vast and complex,” and involved a sustained, multi-vector campaign to “damage our democracy and divide our citizens.” Most importantly, that campaign […]Read More

Top stories this week: Countering Russian Efforts Let’s Empower Russians Who are Fighting Putin’s Propaganda | Christian Caryl | The Washington Post We Know Russia Interfered in the 2016 Election. Will Anything be Done to Stop it in 2020? | Luke Barnes | Think Progress Europe Needs a Plan to Fight Putin’s Trolls | Editorial Board | […]Read More

Chris Kremidas-Courtney, March 17th, 2019, Strategy Internationalhttps://strategyinternational.org/russian-disinformation-and-the-measles-surge-in-europe/ In 2018, Ukraine saw the biggest surge in measles outbreaks of all European countries, with a 634 percent increase in cases.  From 2017 to 2018 to an astonishing 53,000 cases were reported in Ukraine According to recent reporting from international health experts, Europe is currently experiencing a 20 […]Read More

T.S. Allen, March 11th, 2019Modern War Institute at West Point In 2011, a Russian Ministry of Defense white paper defined information warfare “as the ability to . . . undermine political, economic, and social systems; carry out mass psychological campaigns against the population of a state in order to destabilize society and the government; and force a state […]Read More

Several articles in Stars and Stripes House VA committee launches investigation of bots using fake news to target veterans, servicemembershttps://www.stripes.com/news/us/house-va-committee-launches-investigation-of-bots-using-fake-news-to-target-veterans-servicemembers-1.571515Nikki Wentling, Stars and Strips, March 5th, 2019The House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs launched an investigation Tuesday into “anonymous internet actors” impersonating congressionally chartered veterans service organizations in an effort to scam veterans and servicemembers. Congressmen […]Read More

Olivia Gazis, CBS News, March 28th 2019https://www.cbsnews.com/news/2020-presidential-election-candidates-former-top-intelligence-officials-create-intelligence-briefing-book/ Two former acting CIA directors have enlisted former intelligence analysts in compiling a “briefing book” on global security challenges and are sending copies to all declared 2020 presidential candidates – including President Trump.   The 37-page report is intended to serve as an unclassified, written version of a […]Read More

Facebook Removes Accounts From Russia, Iran for ‘Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior’https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2019/03/26/business/26reuters-facebook-fake-accounts.html Reuters in the New York Times, March 26th, 2019Facebook Inc said on Tuesday it has removed more accounts from Iran, Russia, Macedonia and Kosovo, citing what it described as “coordinated inauthentic behavior.” EU Leaders to Warn of Cyber, Fake News Threat to May Electionshttps://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2019/03/20/technology/20reuters-eu-disinformation.html Reuters […]Read More

Europe fines Google $1.7 billion in antitrust caseKelvin Chan and Raf Casert, Associated Press in the Washington Post, March 20th, 2019https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/03/26/robert-kagans-big-wrong-idea/?utm_term=.a4bef06de998 Europe’s antitrust regulators slapped Google with a big fine Wednesday for the third time in less than two years, ordering the tech giant to pay 1.49 billion euros ($1.7 billion) for freezing out rivals […]Read More