Thread by @jseldin

NEW: Digital repression "does not, at least in my view, get enough attention" @ODNIgov Dir Avril Haines tells @CarnegieEndow

#China is "the global leader in digital repression" per @ODNIgov's Haines

#Russia comes next, using a different approach that relies heavily on #disinformation, she says

US keeping eye on "Kremlin-aligned media" & social media, per @ODNIgov's Haines

#Tehran also increasing willing to wields tools of digital repression outside #Iran's borders, per @ODNIgov's Haines

But some tactics used by #China #Russia #Iran are becoming more widely used w/more governments using internet shutdowns & even spyware, all leading to democratic erosion, per @ODNIgov's Haines

#China's initiatives, like its smart cities effort, "making it easier for others to engage" in digital repression, per @ODNIgov's Haines

"We need to move with urgency" to combat digital repression as the technology advances & becomes easier to use, per @ODNIgov's Haines

Digital repression "a national security threat" per @ODNIgov's Haines

And not just a concern re advseraries - "We should be having conversations about how this is creeping into our own systems" she says

With the evolving technology - "you can really engage in digital authoritarianism at scale" per @ODNIgov's Haines, warning the tools to do it are increasingly exportable - whether from #China, #Russia or elsewhere

No blowback from US allies to decision by @POTUS to ban government use of commercial spyware, per @ODNIgov's Haines
voanews.com/a/us-to-adopt-…

With #Election2024 approaching, @ODNIgov's Haines says US should expect more sophisticated influence ops/#disinformation due to advancements in #ArtificialIntelligence #AI

"We say that #China is more sophisticated" than #Russia w/digital repression, per @ODNIgov's Haines "They just started earlier"

#Russia tends to be more legalistic in their repression model & also engages more in/relies on more on #disinformation

NEW: "Deeply depressing" to see recent Discord intel leak, per @ODNIgov's Haines

"Very frustrating" she says, adding the intel community will always find ways to "learn the right lessons"

US intel needs ongoing conversation w/the private sector on technology & its use - "in many scenarios, they see things before we do" per @ODNIgov's Haines

Growing trend of democratic backsliding across the world is reason for worry, per @ODNIgov's Haines

Especially with the use of technology, "the pendulum has swung more towards the authoritarian space"