Episode 4.3: Authoritarian Information Manipulation: Beyond Troll Farms and Fake News – Jessica Brandt

Series: Democracy and Emergent Technology. Interviewer: ZACHARY LOEB. Even as awareness has risen of disinformation deliberately spread by authoritarian regimes, the forms it takes have become more subtle and insidious, warns digital and foreign policy specialist JESSICA BRANDT. The Russian government, for instance, has shifted away from troll farms and toward amplifying conspiracy theories originating in Western countries themselves; and away from obviously fake news toward misleading half-truths. In her discussion with historian of science and technology Zachary Loeb, she outlines what the U.S. government can do to counter these new strategies, but emphasizes that it is civil society groups – journalists in particular – who must take the lead in fighting against the post-truth world authoritarian leaders would like to create. Brandt was the inaugural speaker in the Mitchell Center's Democracy and Emergent Technology series. A video of her talk is available here.