Exploring the challenges of regulating cyberspace and the impact of social media on conflicts. Former FBI Agent and War Correspondent share insights on the existential cyber-war. Discusses the need for global cooperation and regulations to combat disinformation and cyber threats.
The US government opted not to regulate the commercial aspects of the internet, leading to challenges in controlling disinformation and cyber warfare.
Regulating big tech platforms like industries with harmful products is necessary to combat disinformation and hold tech companies accountable for societal harm.
Deep dives
The Evolution of the Internet and Lack of Regulation
The podcast delves into the origins of the internet, tracing its evolution from the development of ARPA net in the 1950s to the advent of social media. It questions why the internet, a vast unregulated space, has not been subject to government oversight like other aspects of society. The complex nature of regulating the massive amount of information online is explored, along with the initial excitement surrounding the internet's potential for freedom.
Social Media's Impact on Conflict and Disinformation
Discussions highlight how social media platforms shape modern conflicts and disseminate disinformation. Insights from a journalist and war correspondent, David Patrick Arrakos, shed light on the influence of social media on warfare. The infiltration of disinformation by authoritarian regimes, as exemplified by Russian sources in Georgia, showcases the power of social media in shaping perceptions and influencing vulnerable populations.
Empowering Individuals in Cyberspace Warfare
Cyberspace is depicted as a key battleground in modern conflicts, where individuals wield influence through social media. The concept of 'homo digitalis' underscores the potential of every connected individual to impact narratives and mobilize audiences online. The narrative of Farah from Gaza highlights how personalizing conflicts through social media can affect public perceptions and influence political decisions, even in asymmetrical warfare.
Regulating Big Tech and Addressing Disinformation
The podcast advocates for regulating big tech platforms similar to industries with harmful products like tobacco. Suggestions include enforcing transparency in algorithms, fostering resilience against disinformation, and holding tech companies accountable for societal harm. Collective action and global cooperation are deemed essential to resolving the challenges posed by unregulated cyberspace and disinformation warfare.
Although the birth of the internet was an interplay between American defense contractors and American tech firms, the US government actively chose to not regulate the commercial aspects of what it had birthed.
From disinformation to cyber warfare, how can we better control the internet and stop it from reinforcing the Global Enduring Disorder? In this episode, former FBI Agent Asha Rangappa helps us understand what makes these new technologies so disruptive and how the West’s adversaries understand the politics of cyberspace. War Correspondent David Patrikarakos tells us about the physical impact of these new technologies on ongoing conflicts. Both conclude that our leaders have been naïve about the fact that for more than a decade we have been facing an existential multi-front cyber-war.
For more from Asha Rangappa, subscribe to her email newsletter, The Freedom Academy here. She is also co-host of the podcast, It’s Complicated, with Renato Mariotti which you can find here.
Get David Patrikarakos’ book, War in 140 Characters: How Social Media Is Reshaping Conflict in the Twenty-First Century here