The German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), Junge DGAP, cordially invites you within the framework of our event series “The Future of International Cooperation“ to the following hybrid side event at the Munich Security Conference 2023:
Debating the West's Response to Digital Information Warfare: A Call to Action in a Polarized World
Friday, February 17, 2023, 3:30 to 5:00 pm (CET)
Amerikahaus München, Karolinenplatz 3, 80333 Munich or via Youtube
Panelists:
Jürgen Ehle, Rear Admiral at German Armed Forces & Senior Military Advisor to Managing Director CSDP of the European External Action Service (EEAS)
Radoslaw Sikorski, Member of European Parliament, former Secretary of State and Minister of Defense, Republic of Poland
Manuela Kasper-Claridge, Editor In Chief at Deutsche Welle
Dr. Katja Muñoz, DGAP Research Fellow, Center for Geopolitics, Geoeconomics and Technology
States have long used propaganda as an instrument of great power competition. But their ability to conduct information warfare has been hugely expanded by algorithm-based digital platforms. Early on, authoritarian states learnt to exploit these digital possibilities, and they successfully established information arsenals for conducting offensive campaigns of destabilization and subversion abroad. All kinds of state and non-state actors have followed suit. Methods include “astroturfing” to mimic grass-root social pressure, “micro-targeting” to swing elections, and establishing “troll factories” to erode political trust.
Western policymakers are aware of how digital platforms are being weaponized, and they have legislated to counter foreign actors. They have intensified their regulation of tech companies, and have encouraged digital platforms to develop tools to flag affiliations with foreign state outlets. They have also urged western military and intelligence communities to set up strategic communication capabilities. But is it enough? In this event we will discuss whether such instruments suffice, and whether governments on both sides of the Atlantic should hone offensive information warfare capabilities of their own.
This hybrid event will provide a unique opportunity for participants to actively engage in a timely and important discussion about the future of information warfare, and the role of the West in this threat to the liberal democratic order. In an interactive debate style format, our panel will discuss the notion:
“Information Warfare: A Promising Approach for Western States to Protect Their Interests in the Era of Digital Propaganda”
All participants will have the opportunity to take part in the discussion and raise questions to the panel. The event will be conducted in-person at the Amerika Haus München, as well as online via YouTube.
Please register here for the event in-person.
Please use this link for the virtual participation.
We would like to thank the Amerikahaus München as well as the MSC team for making this event possible.