Transnational Bodies

Pro Publica: China Built a Twitter Propaganda Machine and Let It Loose on Coronavirus

April 01, 2020

Since August 2019, ProPublica has tracked more than 10,000 suspected fake Twitter accounts involved in a coordinated influence campaign with ties to the Chinese government, which Chinese authorities are using to spread propaganda relating to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cliffe: COVID-19 Bio-surveillance Measures May Threaten Freedom

April 01, 2020

Writing in NewStatesmanAmerica, Jeremy Cliffe explains whey the creation and distribution of bio-surveillance power in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic should be the primary concern of the friends of democracy and civil liberties.
Cheeseman: The Coronavirus Could Topple Governments Around the World

April 01, 2020

Writing in Foreign Policy, Nic Cheeseman, professor of democracy and international development at the University of Birmingham, opines that the COVID-19 pandemic may have severe governance consequences in countries where political institutions are relatively weak and where the illness or death of a leader has been known to generate the kind of power vacuum that might inspire rival leaders, opposition parties, or the military to launch a power grab.
Carpenter: Preventing Liberty from Becoming a Coronavirus Fatality

April 01, 2020

In a recent commentary, Ted Carpenter, Senior Fellow for Defense and Foreign Policy Studies at the Cato Institute, explains how collective public panic about the COVID-19 pandemic creates the danger that government measures designed to deal with the outbreak may lead to enormous collateral damage to the freedoms that Americans take for granted.
Pompeo: China, Russia, Iran are Spreading Disinformation about Coronavirus

March 24, 2020

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has accused China, Russia and Iran of carrying out disinformation campaigns relating to the coronavirus pandemic, in what is an apparent effort to sow fear and confusion.
Kampmark: COVID-19 is Resulting in a Pandemic Surveillance State

March 24, 2020

Writing in International Policy Digest, Binoy Kampmark explains how, during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, epidemiologists are at the forefront of a new surveillance push, marked by a fierce boom in surveillance technologies dedicated to monitoring whole populations taking place.
Wolf: Russia Engaged in COVID-19 Disinformation Campaign

March 24, 2020

Acting U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf has opined that false reports that the U.S. is imposing a national quarantine because of the novel coronavirus are part of a "disinformation campaign" possibly stemming from Russia.
WHO Has Become Global Social Media Influencer

March 18, 2020

Writing in Forbes, Abram Brown opines that, as it addresses the coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organization is becoming the planets most important social media influencer, consistently putting out life-saving information that successfully catches the attention of the young and old.
U.S. Cyberspace Solarium Commission Publishes Recommendations for Cybersecurity

March 16, 2020

The U.S. Cyberspace Solarium Commission has issued a Report providing more than 75 recommendations for action to reduce the risk of large-scale cyberattacks on the nation's critical infrastructure and economic system.
Legrain: Coronavirus Outbreak Bolsters Nationalist and Protectionist Policies

March 16, 2020

Writing in Foreign Policy, Philippe Legrain opines that the coronavirus outbreak has "been a gift" to nativist nationalists and protectionists and is likely to have a long-term impact on the free movement of people and goods.