Thread by @SecureDemocracy

This week, on a bipartisan basis, the US House of Representatives passed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020, which will drive much of defense policy for the coming year. congress.gov/bill/116th-con…

With it, Congress has taken steps to secure US democracy against foreign interference, particularly in the areas of improving election security, addressing concerns about China, and defending against disinformation.

These are three areas that @jessbrandt has said are ripe for bipartisan action.
lawfareblog.com/depoliticizing…

@jessbrandt Under the NDAA, the Director of National Intelligence will coordinate a whole-of-government strategy for countering cyberthreats to US elections. Dave Salvo and @rachaeldean previously wrote about the need to secure state elections against these threats. securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/defending-elec…

@jessbrandt @rachaeldean The DNI will have to report on threats to and attacks on campaigns in the months leading up to elections, which will provide candidates, parties, and voters with up-to-date information on the influence operations that affect them.

@jessbrandt @rachaeldean Such reporting could improve information sharing about election threats, which has been an ongoing problem in Florida:
slate.com/technology/201…

@jessbrandt @rachaeldean Congress has also taken steps to counter CCP-backed interference in the US. China Analyst @tombschrader has warned that Chinese-Americans are particularly vulnerable to CCP targeting, and he argued that the US government needs to protect these citizens. warontherocks.com/2019/07/americ…

Appropriately, Congress did include a provision to protect Chinese-Americans from discrimination and stereotyping that might accompany increased scrutiny of CCP and PRC activities.

The bill will also require the DNI to report on the ongoing repression of Muslims in Xinjiang, Chinese interference in Taiwan’s 2020 elections, and the threat of Chinese 5G hegemony.

The NDAA calls for the establishment of a Social Media Data and Threat Analysis Center at the DNI. Collaboration between tech companies, civil society, & the government is an important component of efforts to defend against & deter foreign interference. securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/wp-content/upl…

Congress recognizes that threats to the US are evolving, and the NDAA mandates DNI reporting on several technological trends that have the potential to be major tools of authoritarian influence in the near future, including facial recognition tech and deepfakes.

Emerging Tech Fellow Lindsay Gorman has warned of the threat deepfakes pose to democracy, saying that authoritarian actors can use these tools to undermine confidence in objective reality. securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/lindsay-gorman…

Congress has made progress in protecting American democracy from authoritarian interference with this NDAA; however, there is much more to be done. The US and its allies must respond holistically to this threat that aims to weaken and divide democratic societies.

We all share a responsibility to ensure authoritarian actors do not succeed in undermining our democracy. ASD’s Policy Blueprint lays out some of the steps we can take to do so. gmfus.org/publications/a…