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RAND was at the forefront of early computing and data science. In the 1950s, we built computers to improve researchers' analytic and modeling capabilities. We also developed data communications technologies that were forerunners of the internet. Today, RAND experts recommend policies and best practices to support safe and secure technological innovation and adoption.

Report

How China Uses Big Data Analytics

Sep 1, 2020

China's quest to become the global center for artificial intelligence starts with mastering big data analytics. Its aggressive strategy encompasses economic, military, police, and intelligence functions. Beijing is already using big data to survey the country's domestic population and enhance its military.
Report

Foreign Actors Are Again Using Twitter to Interfere with the U.S. Election

Oct 8, 2020

After the 2016 U.S. election it became clear that Russian agents had engaged in online efforts to sow chaos and inflame partisan divides among Americans. Interference is happening again now. It includes posts from trolls—fake personas spreading hyper-partisan themes—and superconnectors designed to spread messages quickly.

Topics in Focus:

Explore Cyber and Data Sciences

Journal Article

Journal Article

Social Media and Influence Operations Technologies: Implications for Great Power Competition

Russia, China, and the so-called Islamic State are three key U.S. adversaries that have exploited online technologies for propaganda. This chapter reviews the aims, capabilities, and limitations of online propaganda for each of these entities.

Oct 23, 2020
Multimedia

Using AI to Tackle Disinformation Online

RAND Europe analyst Linda Slapakova talks with RAND senior behavioral scientist William Marcellino about their study on human-machine detection of online-based malign information.

Oct 23, 2020
Journal Article

Journal Article

The Past, Present, and Future of Russia's Cyber Strategy and Forces

This article aims to show that there is more continuity than contrast between Russian cyber perspectives and practice.

Oct 22, 2020
Commentary

Think Tanks in the Era of Truth Decay

Truth Decay is the diminishing role of facts and analysis in American public life, and it cuts much deeper than any political party or demographic. It's why nonpartisan think tanks like RAND are as important now as they have ever been.

Oct 22, 2020
Report

Report

Pitfalls and Potholes: Data Issues to Consider When Analyzing State Opioid Policies, September 14, 2020

The webinar focused on data dimensions that researchers should keep in mind when conducting analyses of state opioid policies and when seeking to draw conclusions from other studies.

Oct 21, 2020
Multimedia

COVID-19 and the Digital Divide: Inequities in Online Learning

RAND senior policy researcher Julia Kaufman explains how the digital divide impacted teaching and learning when schools closed last spring in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Oct 16, 2020
Report

Facebook Users May Spread Russian Propaganda Less Often If They Know Its Source

Russian propaganda is hitting its mark on social media, generating strong partisan reactions that help intensify political divisions. But Facebook users are less apt to press the like button on content when they learn that it is part of a foreign propaganda campaign.

Oct 15, 2020
News Release

News Release

Facebook Users May Spread Russian Propaganda Less Often When They Are Aware of Its Source

Russian propaganda is hitting its mark on social media—generating strong partisan reactions that may help intensify political divisions—but Facebook users are less apt to press the “like” button on content when they learn that it is part of a foreign propaganda campaign.

Oct 15, 2020
Commentary

College Students Need Mental Health Support

Rising mental health problems in the United States have long made health advocates and providers worried about the need for additional support for struggling college students. The pandemic has only exacerbated this concern.

Oct 12, 2020
Commentary

The United States Can Achieve AI Dominance with Its Allies

Close collaborators in any AI alliance must be able to usefully contribute to the work and be trustworthy enough to share in cutting-edge technical advancements. While achieving this close collaboration with allies may be difficult, it will be essential if the United States hopes to achieve the data dominance needed to succeed in future combat.

Oct 9, 2020
Report

Report

Counter-Radicalization Bot Research: Using Social Bots to Fight Violent Extremism

As the online recruitment of violent extremist organizations grows, the U.S. government may benefit from promising emerging technology tools to rapidly detect targets of such recruitment efforts and deliver counter-radicalization content to them.

Oct 8, 2020
News Release

News Release

Coordinated Efforts on Twitter to Interfere in the U.S. Presidential Election Are Likely Foreign

A coordinated effort on Twitter to influence the upcoming U.S. presidential election—using trolls (fake personas that spread hyper-partisan themes) and super-connectors (highly-networked accounts)—aims to sow distrust, exacerbate political divisions and undermine confidence in American democracy.

Oct 8, 2020
Report

Using Natural Language Processing to Code Patient Experience Narratives: Capabilities and Challenges

The authors demonstrate the feasibility of using natural language processing to extract key information from a large set of patient narratives about their health care experiences.

Oct 7, 2020
Journal Article

Journal Article

Use of Tele–mental Health in Conjunction With In-Person Care: A Qualitative Exploration of Implementation Models

Exploration of implementation models for tele–mental health.

Oct 2, 2020
Journal Article

Journal Article

Common Laboratory Results Frequently Misunderstood by a Sample of Mechanical Turk Users

Use of Mechanical Turk to determine how well patients understand common laboratory test results.

Oct 2, 2020
Blog

How Russia Targets U.S. Elections, Black Workers and COVID-19, TikTok: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on how Russia targets U.S. elections, Americans' increased alcohol consumption during the pandemic, Black workers and COVID-19, and more.

Oct 2, 2020
Report

How Russia Targets U.S. Elections

In this campaign season, Russia might try to manipulate U.S. voters through social media as it did in 2016. New technologies have made these efforts easier. Russia's tactics aim to polarize Americans, create distrust, and paralyze the political process. What is the best defense against them?

Oct 1, 2020
News Release

News Release

Foreign Interference in U.S. Elections Focuses on Cultivating Distrust to Reduce Political Consensus

Foreign interference in U.S. elections likely focuses, in part, on creating distrust among Americans, with paralyzing the American political process as its main goal.

Oct 1, 2020
Multimedia

Russian Interference in the 2020 U.S. Election

RAND military sociologist Marek Posard describes several broad risks of foreign interference in American democracy and explains how Russia may use reflexive control theory to cause disruption in the 2020 U.S. Election.

Oct 1, 2020

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RAND Topic:
Cyber and Data Sciences

Topic Synonyms:
Computer and Information Science and Technology;
Computer Science;
Computer Technology;
Computing;
Informatics;
Information Science;
Information Technology;
IS;
IST;
IT

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