Hacked Elections, Online Influence Operations, and the Threat to Democracy

This is the first session of the Hacked Elections, Online Influence Operations, and the Threat to Democracy symposium.

The panelists provide an overview of the complex problems facing election cybersecurity and offer recommendations to protect the integrity of elections from cyber threats.

This symposium convenes policymakers, business executives, and other opinion leaders for a candid analysis of the cybersecurity threat to democracies, particularly to the election systems themselves and the subsequent attempts to shape the public debate through disinformation and online commentary.

SEGAL: Good morning. I’m Adam Segal. I direct the Digital and Cyberspace Policy Program here at the Council, and I just want to say a few words of thanks and a few words of welcome.

First, let me thank Marisa Shannon and Laura Bresnahan and Alex Grigsby for helping put this together and making sure that it runs smoothly. We want to thank PwC, which has provided some funding to help us run this and a number of other programs in the Digital and Cyberspace Policy Program.

Like many of the other think tanks, we are doing more and more work in this space, on information operations and Russian information operations in particular. Just this month we...

This is the second session of the Hacked Elections, Online Influence Operations, and the Threat to Democracy symposium.

The panelists will explore how the United States and the tech community can respond to foreign actors’ use of online platforms to propagate disinformation and amplify specific viewpoints.

This symposium will convene policymakers, business executives, and other opinion leaders for a candid analysis of the cybersecurity threat to democracies, particularly to the election systems themselves and the subsequent attempts to shape the public debate through disinformation and online commentary.

KORNBLUH: All right. Can we have everyone sit down, please? Can we have everyone sit down? Thanks. Thank you.

Hi. Welcome to the second session of today’s symposium. This is titled “Combating Online Information Operations.” I’m Karen Kornbluh, senior fellow for digital policy at the Council.

And we’re very lucky to have these experts with us to discuss this issue. We have Renee DiResta, Thomas Rid, and Clint Watt(s). I anticipate a very lively and fascinating conversation.

I wanted to start with Thomas. When the Supreme Court in the U.S. decided Citizens United back in 2010, it predicated the whole idea that corporations should be able to spend money...

This is the third session of the Hacked Elections, Online Influence Operations, and the Threat to Democracy symposium.

This panel examines what foreign policy responses are at the United States’ disposal to respond to Russia’s interference in the 2016 U.S. election, and how it could learn from countries that have faced a similar threat.

This symposium convenes policymakers, business executives, and other opinion leaders for a candid analysis of the cybersecurity threat to democracies, particularly to the election systems themselves and the subsequent attempts to shape the public debate through disinformation and online commentary.

FARKAS: OK. Good morning. Good late morning, everyone. This is—I’m going to venture to be bold and say this is going to be the most exciting panel of the day—(laughter)—because we’re all about solving the problems that you guys have been hearing about this morning.

And I’m very happy to have an international panel. Unfortunately, it’s shrunk by one individual because Professor Angela Stent is ill, so she couldn’t join us. I will try to channel her as best I can, with my own personal twist. But we, again, have an international panel that I’m very excited about because they have thought long and...

This is the keynote session of the Hacked Elections, Online Influence Operations, and the Threat to Democracy symposium.

This symposium convenes policymakers, business executives, and other opinion leaders for a candid analysis of the cybersecurity threat to democracies, particularly to the election systems themselves and the subsequent attempts to shape the public debate through disinformation and online commentary.

SANGER: Well, Senator, thank you for joining us.

To all of those of who are now well-fed and back in the room, I’m David Sanger from The New York Times.

And I’d like to welcome Senator Richard Burr for—to the keynote of this—it’s been a fascinating morning, a discussion of Russia, the election interference, but also broader cyber issues. And we’re very glad that you’ve come here to the Council to talk to us.

BURR: Delighted to be here, David. And good to see you. I question the meal part. It didn’t look like it was substantial enough, but—(laughter)—that hopefully will keep you from sleeping through this part of it.

SANGER: It’s the Council. We’re on a tight budget, that’s right.

So, for those of you who don’t know, Senator Burr is in his third term, senator from North...