Title

Lies, Bots, and Social Media

Thursday, November 29, 2018
10:30am
Senate Dirksen Office Building
Room 562
Washington, DC
United States
What is Computational Propaganda and How Do We Defeat It?
Moderator(s): 
Name: 
Paul Massaro
Title Text: 
Policy Advisor
Body: 
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
Name: 
Mark Toner
Title Text: 
Senior State Department Advisor
Body: 
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
Witnesses: 
Name: 
Matt Chessen
Title: 
Acting Deputy Science and Technology Advisor to the Secretary of State
Body: 
U.S. Department of State
Name: 
Karen Kornbluh
Title: 
Senior Fellow and Director, Technology Policy Program
Body: 
The German Marshall Fund of the United States
Name: 
Nina Jankowicz
Title: 
Global Fellow, Kennan Institute
Body: 
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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