ASD contributes long and short form research products and analysis to inform and engage our audience on a range of issues related to malign foreign interference. In addition, we develop policy recommendations and strategies to close vulnerabilities and safeguard institutions from authoritarian threats.
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Hamilton Toplines: July 19-25, 2021
Russia The announcement of a U.S.-Germany deal on Nord Stream 2 last week provoked some criticism from Russian diplomats, who objected to the agreement’s “hostile” stance toward Russia. RIA Novosti also ran at least a couple of articles highlighting [...]
Securing Democracy Dispatch
Our Take There are ten values-based principles that can help transatlantic democracies develop common frameworks for understanding and addressing manipulated information, ASD Program Manager and Fellow Nad’a Kovalčíková and Globsec’s Dominika Hajdu [...]
Ten Principles for a Healthier Information Space Across the Atlantic
ASD's Nad’a Kovalčíková and Globsec's Dominika Hajdu and Miroslava Sawiris present the Alliance for Healthy Infosphere's Ten Transatlantic Principles for a Healthy Online Information Space. The U.S. Capitol attack on January 6, 2021, fueled by dis [...]
Top 5 German Election Dashboard Takeaways
Germany’s upcoming federal election in September is not only important for the German people but can be an alluring target for foreign and domestic actors seeking to influence the future trajectory of the country or seeking to undermine democratic p [...]
Dissidents: They Get the Job Done
Iranian operatives' attempt to kidnap Masih Alinejad highlights the critical role that dissidents and defectors play in combatting authoritarianism—as well as the risks autocrats will take to silence them. Earlier this month, federal prosecutors an [...]
Securing Democracy Dispatch
Our Take It’s probable that REvil—the Russia-based hacker gang that vanished after being blamed for the Kaseya cyberattack—will pop back up with a new name and more victims, Cybersecurity Fellow Maurice Turner said on CBS News. Russian state-backed [...]
Hamilton Toplines: July 12-18, 2021
Russia In coverage of the anti-government protests in Cuba, Russian state media amplified calls to end the U.S. embargo on the country and Cuban officials’ accusations that U.S.-funded mercenaries are fomenting the protests. The Russian Foreign Mini [...]
Between Messaging and Manipulation: How Russia, China, Turkey, and Iran Engaged in German Political Discourses in June 2021
What We’re Seeing on the 2021 German Elections Dashboard In June, as in previous months, foreign state-backed media and diplomatic accounts actively engaged in online German political discourses, at times manipulating information. Russian actors con [...]
The Illusion of a Russian Media Empire: How Anonymous Bloggers and Obfuscated Identities Power the Troll Factory’s Successor
What becomes of a Kremlin troll farm when its fake accounts are repeatedly taken down? It sheds its skin and morphs into something new, all while continuing its efforts to bend public opinion towards a Putinesque view of the world. Since its much-pu [...]
Securing Democracy Dispatch
Our Take The United States needs a different deterrent strategy to counter the increasing number of ransomware attacks facing the country, Cybersecurity Fellow Maurice Turner said on CBS News. Since the Biden administration launched the Wuhan lab l [...]
Hamilton Toplines: July 5-11, 2021
Russian state media and diplomats extensively covered the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan last week, with Afghanistan ranking as the third most mentioned country and “Taliban” as one of the top 10 key phrases by monitored accounts. Notable narrativ [...]
Securing Democracy Dispatch
Announcements ASD’s David Levine and OSET’s Eddie Perez will present their new report, Enhancing the Security of Electronic Pollbooks Is Essential for Election Integrity, at the Electoral Integrity Project's virtual workshop on Friday, July 9 at 9: [...]