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Lies, Bots, and Social Media

What is Computational Propaganda and How Do We Defeat It?

Moderators

Paul Massaro

Policy Advisor

Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe

Mark Toner

Senior State Department Advisor

Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe

Witnesses

Matt Chessen

Acting Deputy Science and Technology Advisor to the Secretary of State

U.S. Department of State

Karen Kornbluh

Senior Fellow and Director, Technology Policy Program

The German Marshall Fund of the United States

Nina Jankowicz

Global Fellow, Kennan Institute

Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

From the latest revelations about Facebook to ongoing concerns over the integrity of online information, the U.S. public has never been more vulnerable or exposed to computational propaganda: the threat posed by sophisticated botnets able to post, comment on, and influence social media and other web outlets to generate a desired outcome or simply sow distrust and disorder. 

What can be done to confront and defeat these malevolent actors before they dominate civil discourse on the Internet? One possibility is the use of algorithmic signal reading which displays for users the geographic origin of a given post. Another answer may lie in improving how websites like Facebook curate their content, so the user can make more informed choices. 

At this Helsinki Commission briefing, distinguished experts examined the implications of computational propaganda on national and international politics and explored options available to Congress and the private sector to confront and negate its pernicious influence.

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