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What Is Computational Propaganda and How Do We Defeat It?

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What Is Computational Propaganda and How Do We Defeat It? 115th CONGRESS Printed for the use of the 2nd Session Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe Lies, Bots, and Social Media: What is Computational Propaganda and How Do We Defeat It? NOVEMBER 29, 2018 Briefing of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe Washington: 2019 VerDate Mar 15 2010 11:24 Sep 06, 2019 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 3191 Sfmt 3191 P:\_HS\WORK\LIESBOTS.TXT NINA CSCE18-11 with DISTILLER CSCESeal.EPS Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe 234 Ford House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 202–225–1901 [email protected] http://www.csce.gov @HelsinkiComm Legislative Branch Commissioners HOUSE SENATE CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, NEW JERSEY ROGER WICKER, MISSISSIPPI, Co-Chairman Chairman ALCEE L. HASTINGS, FLORIDA BENJAMIN L. CARDIN. MARYLAND ROBERT B. ADERHOLT, ALABAMA JOHN BOOZMAN, ARKANSAS MICHAEL C. BURGESS, TEXAS CORY GARDNER, COLORADO STEVE COHEN, TENNESSEE MARCO RUBIO, FLORIDA RICHARD HUDSON, NORTH CAROLINA JEANNE SHAHEEN, NEW HAMPSHIRE RANDY HULTGREN, ILLINOIS THOM TILLIS, NORTH CAROLINA SHEILA JACKSON LEE, TEXAS TOM UDALL, NEW MEXICO GWEN MOORE, WISCONSIN SHELDON WHITEHOUSE, RHODE ISLAND Executive Branch Commissioners DEPARTMENT OF STATE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE [II] (2) VerDate Mar 15 2010 11:24 Sep 06, 2019 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 3193 Sfmt 3193 P:\_HS\WORK\LIESBOTS.TXT NINA CSCE18-11 with DISTILLER ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION FOR SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE The Helsinki process, formally titled the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, traces its origin to the signing of the Helsinki Final Act in Finland on August 1, 1975, by the leaders of 33 European countries, the United States and Canada. As of January 1, 1995, the Helsinki process was renamed the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The membership of the OSCE has expanded to 56 partici- pating States, reflecting the breakup of the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia. The OSCE Secretariat is in Vienna, Austria, where weekly meetings of the partici- pating States’ permanent representatives are held. In addition, specialized seminars and meetings are convened in various locations. Periodic consultations are held among Senior Officials, Ministers and Heads of State or Government. Although the OSCE continues to engage in standard setting in the fields of military security, economic and environmental cooperation, and human rights and humanitarian concerns, the Organization is primarily focused on initiatives designed to prevent, manage and resolve conflict within and among the participating States. The Organization deploys numerous missions and field activities located in Southeastern and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. The website of the OSCE is: <www.osce.org>. ABOUT THE COMMISSION ON SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission, is a U.S. Government agency created in 1976 to monitor and encourage compliance by the participating States with their OSCE commitments, with a particular emphasis on human rights. The Commission consists of nine members from the United States Senate, nine mem- bers from the House of Representatives, and one member each from the Departments of State, Defense and Commerce. The positions of Chair and Co-Chair rotate between the Senate and House every two years, when a new Congress convenes. A professional staff assists the Commissioners in their work. In fulfilling its mandate, the Commission gathers and disseminates relevant informa- tion to the U.S. Congress and the public by convening hearings, issuing reports that reflect the views of Members of the Commission and/or its staff, and providing details about the activities of the Helsinki process and developments in OSCE participating States. The Commission also contributes to the formulation and execution of U.S. policy regarding the OSCE, including through Member and staff participation on U.S. Delega- tions to OSCE meetings. Members of the Commission have regular contact with parliamentarians, government officials, representatives of non-governmental organiza- tions, and private individuals from participating States. The website of the Commission is: <www.csce.gov>. [III] (3) VerDate Mar 15 2010 11:24 Sep 06, 2019 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 3193 Sfmt 3194 P:\_HS\WORK\LIESBOTS.TXT NINA CSCE18-11 with DISTILLER Lies, Bots, and Social Media: What is Computational Propaganda and How Do We Defeat It? NOVEMBER 29, 2018 Page PARTICIPANTS Mark Toner, State Department Senior Advisor, Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe ...................................................................................................................................... 1 Paul Massaro, Policy Advisor, Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe ............... 16 Matt Chessen, Acting Deputy Science and Technology Advisor to the Secretary of State, U.S. Department of State ........................................................................................................... 2 Ambassador Karen Kornbluh, Senior Fellow and Director, Technology Policy Program, The German Marshall Fund of the United States ........................................................................... 7 Nina Jankowicz, Global Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars’ Kennan Institute ......................................................................................................................... 11 [IV] (4) VerDate Mar 15 2010 11:24 Sep 06, 2019 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 3193 Sfmt 3193 P:\_HS\WORK\LIESBOTS.TXT NINA CSCE18-11 with DISTILLER Lies, Bots, and Social Media: What is Computational Propaganda and How Do We Defeat It? November 29, 2018 Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe Washington, DC The briefing was held at 10:33 a.m. in Room 562, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC, Mark Toner, State Department Senior Advisor, Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, presiding. Panelists present: Mark Toner, State Department Senior Advisor, Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe; Paul Massaro, Policy Advisor, Commission on Secu- rity and Cooperation in Europe; Matt Chessen, Acting Deputy Science and Technology Advisor to the Secretary of State, U.S. Department of State; Ambassador Karen Kornbluh, Senior Fellow and Director, Technology Policy Program, The German Marshall Fund of the United States; and Nina Jankowicz, Global Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Inter- national Center for Scholars’ Kennan Institute. Mr. TONER. Good morning, and thanks to all of you for joining us for what I hope is just the start of an ongoing discussion on a topic that is increasingly relevant to all of us in the digital age, and that is computational propaganda and, more broadly, disinformation spread via digital platforms. My name is Mark Toner and I’m joined today by my colleague Paul Massaro. On behalf of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, a.k.a. the Hel- sinki Commission, and the commission’s chairman, Senator Roger Wicker, I wanted to thank our three panelists today, each of whom are experts on the issue of computational propaganda and, more broadly, online disinformation—what it is, where it originates, how it works, and what we can do to stop it or at least better manage it, all, of course, while preserving our bedrock freedom of expression. It’s been said we live in a post-truth world. Indeed, information technology has moved at such a pace that many of us have lost our ability to delineate between fact and fiction, a vulnerability that adversaries, either individuals or political groups or corporations or even, God forbid, foreign governments have sought to exploit. It’s my hope that our discus- sion today will unpack not only why this is happening but also how we can best try to fix it. (1) VerDate Mar 15 2010 11:24 Sep 06, 2019 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 3194 Sfmt 3194 P:\_HS\WORK\LIESBOTS.TXT NINA CSCE18-11 with DISTILLER It’s a conversation, of course, that has to include all the different players—that’s industry, civil society, and government, of course—and employ technology and policy in new and creative ways. And while there’s certainly plenty of blame to go around in our slow response to this threat, there are, I hope, real solutions that we can pursue that can return the internet to the promise of its early days. Our first speaker, Matt Chessen, is a career U.S. diplomat, technologist, and author who is currently serving as the acting deputy advisor in the Office of Science and Tech- nology to the secretary of state. It’s his job to connect State Department foreign policy priorities to research, development, and discoveries emerging from the high tech and pri- vate sectors. Matt also manages the development of policy portfolios for artificial intel- ligence and computational propaganda, and Matt’s written and spoken extensively on the problem of computational propaganda and how to address it through AI [artificial intel- ligence] and other technology. Our second panelist is Karen Kornbluh, who is currently the senior fellow and director for the technology policy program at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Karen was previously with the Council on Foreign Relations, where she was the senior fellow for digital policy. She also served as U.S. Ambassador to the OECD [Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development] from 2009 to 2012, where she spearheaded the development of the first
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