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Three 'New Rules' Worth Considering for the Internet

May 10, 2019

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg has called for new internet regulation starting in four areas: harmful content, election integrity, privacy, and data portability. But why stop there? His proposal could be expanded to include much more: security-by-design, net worthiness, and updated internet business models.
Tool

What's Being Done to Fight Disinformation Online

Nov 12, 2019

With the rise of the internet and social media, false or intentionally misleading information can spread further and faster than ever before. What tools exist to fight disinformation online?

Explore The Internet

Blog

Panel: How the Media Can Help Fight Truth Decay

"Truth Decay" is the diminishing role of facts and analysis in U.S. public life. As part of this phenomenon, Americans are losing faith in once-trusted sources of information, including the news. What could media organizations do to address this?

Feb 25, 2020
Blog

New START, Trump's Middle East Peace Plan, New Tobacco Products: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on why the United States should extend the New START agreement, the Trump administration's Middle East peace plan, new tobacco products, and more.

Feb 21, 2020
Report

Report

Fighting Disinformation Online: Building the Database of Web Tools

This report describes a database of online tools that are developed by nonprofit, civil society organizations and are designed to reduce the spread of online disinformation.

Feb 18, 2020
Commentary

Our Actions Determine What We Read and See Online. Algorithms Are Only a Part of That Process

As social media has increasingly become the main outlet for people to acquire news and opinion, there are concerns about the effect of algorithm-driven services on the spread of misleading information. But the issue doesn't merely lie with how social platforms use algorithms to deliver content.

Feb 7, 2020
Commentary

Artificial Intelligence and the Manufacturing of Reality

Humans carry flaws in deciding what is or is not real. The internet and other technologies have made it easier to weaponize and exploit these flaws. And artificial intelligence will likely be used to exploit these weaknesses at an unprecedented scale, speed, and level of effectiveness.

Jan 20, 2020
News Release

News Release

One-Third of Americans Use News Sources They Consider Less Reliable

One-third of Americans rely on news platforms they acknowledge are less reliable, mainly social media and peers. The other two-thirds of the public consider their primary news sources trustworthy, mainly print news and broadcast television.

Dec 10, 2019
Report

How Americans Consume the News

Where do Americans get their news? What news sources do they view as reliable? And how are choices about news consumption linked to demographics or political affiliation? Results from a national survey provide insights into these questions and more.

Dec 9, 2019
Blog

Disinformation, Drug Policy, Artificial Intelligence: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on tools to fight disinformation online, the negative consequences of punishing pregnant women for drug use, how to ensure public trust in artificial intelligence, and more.

Nov 15, 2019
Tool

Fighting Disinformation Online: A Database of Web Tools

RAND researchers created a database of web tools that aim to fight the spread of disinformation. These include fact-checking tools, bot detectors, media literacy applications, and more.

Nov 12, 2019
Report

What Could Help Law Enforcement Deal with Crime on the Dark Web?

Crime in traditional online forums often leaves a trail of data that can be followed. But on the dark web, the process of collecting those data and turning them into evidence can be difficult. A panel of law enforcement practitioners and researchers identified ways to address this challenge.

Oct 29, 2019
Report

The Emerging Risk of Virtual Societal Warfare

Living in an information society opens unprecedented opportunities for hostile rivals to cause disruption, delay, inefficiency, and harm. Social manipulation techniques are evolving beyond disinformation and cyberattacks on infrastructure sites. How can democracies protect themselves?

Oct 9, 2019
Commentary

What Translation Troubles Can Tell Us About Russian Information Warfare

Russian information warfare has attracted significant international attention since 2014. But little research has focused on its apparent shortcomings. Most notable are the confusing translation mistakes that undermine Moscow's attempts at covert influence efforts.

Oct 4, 2019
Report

Characterization of the Synthetic Opioid Threat Profile to Inform Inspection and Detection Solutions

The opioid overdose crisis has accelerated in recent years because of the arrival of potent synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl and related substances. Analysis of regional trends can help inform decisions about how and where to deploy law enforcement interventions.

Sep 9, 2019
Report

What Will Drive the Next Generation of Salafi-Jihadis?

Continued economic stagnation and a high youth unemployment rate, exacerbated by the Muslim youth bulge, could lead to failed expectations and spur radicalization among disenchanted Gen Z Muslims. And this cohort's familiarity with the internet could foreshadow an adaptive, tech-savvy terrorist threat.

Aug 22, 2019
Q&A

Searching for Truth: Q&A with Jennifer Kavanagh

Senior political scientist Jennifer Kavanagh helps lead RAND's work on Truth Decay, the diminishing role of facts and analysis in American public life. In this interview, she discusses her latest research on how news presentation has changed over time and across platforms.

Jun 26, 2019
Journal Article

Journal Article

Behavioral Study on Advertising and Marketing Practices in Online Social Media: Annex 1.2 Business Model Identification

An exploratory study to assess advertising and marketing practices in online social media, and to identify possible remedies for any problematic practices identified.

Jun 4, 2019
Commentary

Japan Prepares for Olympic-Level Cybersecurity

The world's attention will be fixed on Japan as it hosts the Rugby World Cup in September and the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. Japan's cyber defenses will need to be strong enough to keep attackers out and resilient enough to restore systems should things go wrong.

Jun 3, 2019
Report

Social Media Helps the Army Connect with Potential Recruits

Social media can be used to raise awareness of the Army among the public, but it's especially important for potential recruits and the adults who might influence them. An analysis of how people are engaging with GoArmy.com and the Army's Facebook and Twitter accounts suggests ways the Army could improve its outreach strategy.

Jun 3, 2019
Blog

Journalism, U.S.–Iranian Tensions, School Reform: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on how the news has changed in the digital age, rising U.S.–Iranian tensions, how educators feel about school improvement plans, and more.

May 17, 2019

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