Friday 10 January, 11am-12noon (GMT)

In this session, we took a look at the destabilising influence of disinformation campaigns by state actors, a vital component of the grey zone which sits between armed conflict and peace.

Russia’s military may have been exposed in the conflict in Ukraine, but its campaign to undermine our confidence in our democratic institutions has continued to be impressively effective. The latest manifestation of this, turning the Romanian presidential election into a farce, is the deliberate targeting of the democratic process in the young democracies of Central and Eastern Europe. The instability it is designed to generate in the region highlights the continuing vulnerability of our democratic institutions to outside interference.

Russia is the prime perpetrator of disinformation, but it is not the only one. China and Iran are learning fast – both developing sophisticated campaigns to support their agendas.

Is democracy’s adherence to freedom of speech an Achilles heel or an antidote? How do nations combat the malign influence of state actor disinformation campaigns? Watch this panel discussion as we explored the challenges in countering disinformation that exploits our passion for conspiracies, and the role education and awareness can play in countering this.

Guest chaired by

John Scott (info), Independent Security Professional

Facilitated by

Tarquin Folliss OBE (info), Vice Chairman, The SASIG

Panellists:

Dr Jill Kastner, Research Fellow, King’s College London
Rob Black (info), Independent Security Professional
Justin Hempson-Jones (info), Managing Director, Social Machines