Tech-enabled dis- and misinformation, social platforms, and geopolitics

Back in 2019, Michael Krigsman and I did a series of CxOTalk videos on the topics of dis- and misinformation in a world increasing filled with bots, algorithms that steer individuals into echo chambers that match their existing biases, and the challenges of overcoming confirmation biases.

These included: Disinformation, Cognitive Security, and Influence with Sara-Jayne Terp and Pablo Breuer on the topics of fighting disinformation (and misinformation) attacks has become a crucial part of information security and Using Data Science to Detect Disinformation with Brett Horvath of Guardians.ai focused on how disinformation presents numerous challenges to business and society. We explored strategies for using data science to uncover patterns and reveal disinformation campaigns.

All of which is why I really enjoyed today’s Atlantic Council GeoTech Hour that was jointly done with our colleagues from the Digital Forensics Research Lab (DFRL) on the topic of “Tech-enabled dis- and misinformation, social platforms, and geopolitics” which brought together long-time friends SJ and Pablo as well as Rose Jackson (Director, Policy Initiative, Atlantic Council Digital Forensic Research Lab) and Bevon Moore (CEO of ElevateU).

We had a lively session with 37 questions received in just 60 minutes from the live audience. Several great insights were shared during this event (replay available below) including:

• There’s a lot of money to be made in dis- and misinformation, and until we address this it will continue.
• Dis- and misinformation has been around ever since there have been humans, the challenge now is complicated narratives don’t go viral and science is often complicated. We will need to find ways to win people over despite the preference of algorithms and people for simple, one-sided narratives.
• The “freemium model” of the internet isn’t exactly free, and what we might be seeing with the vitality of dis- and misinformation is linked to the fact that freemium comes at the cost of monetizing our data, preferences, and attention. until we as consumers are willing to reward more nuanced and less viral content, we shouldn’t be surprised if free also means we are part of the tug of war in this information ecosystem that includes intentional disinformation and unintentional misinformation.

I’ve written in the past about these issues impacting human societies around the world, including Shared Humanity Amid Times of Turbulence and Why the Internet Is the Greatest Reflection of Humanity. The discussion today gives me hope that a movement is growing to recognizing dis- and misinformation are straining societies, making it hard for non-partisan work to be done in public service, and that we need more people-centered approaches to remedy the challenges of our day.

As always, onwards and upwards together my friends.