Key Lessons From the Proliferation of Disinformation Now, more than ever, disinformation has the ab

[rangerrebew]

Key Lessons From the Proliferation of Disinformation

Now, more than ever, disinformation has the ability to influence policy decision-making.
by Alexandra B. Hall

If it was not already evident that disinformation campaigns should be taken seriously as a security threat, the effort to overturn the results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election brought this reality into clear view as rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

John Scott-Railton is a senior researcher at Citizen Lab where he researches malware, phishing, and disinformation. He joined Dr. Emma Belcher, President of Ploughshares Fund, on the Ploughshares’ podcast Press the Button to discuss the effects of disinformation on conflict. Their conversation highlighted the way disinformation campaigns impact the environments in which policymakers must make decisions—whether or not those policymakers believe the disinformation.

Scott-Railton became interested in disinformation through his investigations of Russian hacking activity. He notes “not only was cybersecurity and disinformation potentially more connected than I realized, but actually, disinformation, in so many cases, is about security, and about changing realities on the ground.”

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/skeptics/key-lessons-proliferation-disinformation-199342

[Kamaji]

I'd be careful with this one:

So how do we address the proliferation of such advanced disinformation campaigns? Scott-Railton says, “we're still just in the sort of earliest stages of states thinking together about norm building and about specific regulations that would limit the proliferation of this tech.  Unfortunately, I think that means that we're going to see a lot more destabilizing harm before we see effective control measures.”

This is just a disguised call for comprehensive government-mandated/managed censorship of all private communications.

[Cyber Liberty]

I'd be careful with this one:


This is just a disguised call for comprehensive government-mandated/managed censorship of all private communications.

Agreed.  This is precisely the wrong direction to go.