May 25, 2018

Tell voters in real time if adversaries like Russia try to hack and manipulate elections

This month’s primaries mark the official kickoff of an election cycle that will carry major consequences for America and the world. Yet questions loom over whether voters can or should have confidence in the information that will drive their decisions this fall.

During the 2016 presidential election, the intelligence community determined conclusively that at the direction of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Russian government engaged in simple yet sophisticated influence operations targeting U.S. voters. By leveraging social media platforms, exploiting grassroots movements, and planting false narratives in online news forums, the Russians sought to intensify America’s existing political, social and cultural tensions.

We also learned recently that Cambridge Analytica — the British firm associated with former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon — actively pursued tactics to suppress voter turnout during the 2016 presidential campaign. And of course there was the notorious role of WikiLeaks in circulating hacked emails from the Democratic Party.

It remains unclear whether the widespread efforts to stoke America's ideological and political divisions influenced the outcome of the election. What is clear is that virtually nothing has been done to prevent Russia or firms like Cambridge Analytica from repeating the same behavior during the 2018 election cycle.

Read the Full Article at USA Today

  • Podcast
    • October 24, 2024
    Episode 7: Kate Kuzminski, CNAS

    Kate Kuzminski is Deputy Director of Studies and Director of the Military, Veterans, and Society Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). She is an expert on ...

    By Katherine L. Kuzminski

  • Podcast
    • October 8, 2024
    School of War Ep 150: Katherine Kuzminski on the Draft

    Katherine Kuzminski, Director of the Military, Veterans, and Society Program at CNAS, joins the show to discuss recruiting and mass mobilization in the event of war. Listen t...

    By Katherine L. Kuzminski

  • Commentary
    • Breaking Defense
    • September 27, 2024
    The Melting Fortress: The United States, Canada, and the Race Against Time in the Arctic

    For years, Moscow has prioritized the Arctic as a critical pillar of its national security, opening or refurbishing over 50 military bases and scaling up military operations a...

    By Andrew Spafford & Samantha Olson

  • Commentary
    • Nikkei Asia
    • September 3, 2024
    U.S. military must reinforce Guam's crumbling infrastructure

    In Guam, one is quickly struck by the juxtaposition of crystal-clear waters with crumbling infrastructure and abandoned cars strewn across the small Pacific island. Following ...

    By Taren Sylvester & Evan Wright

View All Reports View All Articles & Multimedia