"GLOBAL ISSUES, LEADERSHIP CHOICES":

How is technology changing international rivalries and foreign and domestic propaganda? Reuters (UK) is reporting a false-flag cyber operation in which the Russian security service hacked Iranian cybersystems in order to attack third-party governments and organizations while posed as Iran: "Russian hackers piggy-backed on an Iranian cyber-espionage operation to attack government and industry organizations in dozens of countries while masquerading as attackers from the Islamic Republic, British and U.S. officials said on Monday. The Russian group, known as "Turla" and accused by Estonian and Czech authorities of operating on behalf of Russia's FSB security service, has used Iranian tools and computer infrastructure to successfully hack in to organizations in at least 20 different countries over the last 18 months, British security officials said." mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKBN1X00AK

For those of you in the Washington, DC, metro area here is a bonus event on this issue: George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs is hosting a program tomorrow afternoon (1-2 pm) on computational propaganda. "Human cognition is a complex system, and AI tools are very good at decoding complex systems. Interactions on social media, browsing the Internet, and even grocery shopping provide thousands of data points from which technologists can build psychological profiles on nearly every citizen. When provided rich databases of information about us, machines will know our personalities, wants, needs, annoyances, and fears better than we know them ourselves. Over the next few years, AI systems used for computational propaganda will gain enhanced ability to influence people, tailoring persuasive, distracting, or intimidating messaging toward individuals based on their unique personalities and backgrounds, a form of highly personalized propaganda." Reservations are required: www.evite.com/event/03DENPJYNI7BV4ZDQEPJ6HLDTHQXME