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Quantum Computers Will Break the Internet, but Only If We Let Them

Apr 8, 2020

Quantum computers are expected to be powerful enough to break the current cryptography that protects all digital communications. But this scenario is preventable if policymakers take actions now to minimize the harm that quantum computers may cause.
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?

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Multimedia

COVID-19 Briefing Series: A Crisis of Disinformation

Jennifer Kavanagh and Todd Helmus discuss the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on public trust in important sources of information and institutions that provide information.

May 22, 2020
Article

What Americans Think of the News—and What That Means for Democracy

RAND researchers asked a nationally representative sample of adults about their news-consumption habits. The answers reveal clues about what it might take to address Truth Decay—the decline of facts in U.S. public life.

Apr 28, 2020
Report

What Digital Materials Do Teachers Use?

Digital materials for lesson planning and instruction are becoming an increasingly important resource for teachers. A survey of English language arts, mathematics, and science teachers across the United States provides insights on which materials they use and what they consider barriers to use.

Apr 16, 2020
News Release

News Release

Future Quantum Computers May Pose Threat to Today's Most-Secure Communications

Quantum computers that are exponentially faster than any of our current classical computers and are capable of code-breaking applications could be available in 12 to 15 years, posing major risks to the security of current communications systems.

Apr 9, 2020
Report

Securing Communications in the Quantum Computing Age

Quantum computers are expected to revolutionize computing. But hackers may be able to use them to crack the encryption system that protects all digital communications. How soon could this scenario become a reality? And what can be done to prevent it?

Apr 9, 2020
Commentary

How to Contain the Disinformation Virus

Like COVID-19, disinformation spreads only if we help it spread. While we have all been asked to stay at home as responsible citizens to contain the virus, we should also feel responsible for making it harder for disinformation to spread.

Apr 9, 2020
Q&A

Truth Decay in the Coronavirus Moment: Q&A with Jennifer Kavanagh

Jennifer Kavanagh, who wrote the RAND book Truth Decay about the diminishing role that facts play in making important public policy decisions, calls the unfolding situation with the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 a worst-case scenario.

Mar 17, 2020
Report

Detecting Malign or Subversive Information Efforts over Social Media

The United States has a capability gap in detecting malign or subversive information campaigns in time to respond before they influence large audiences. A novel method can now detect these efforts.

Mar 16, 2020
Blog

Coronavirus Outbreak, Drones, the U.S. Power Grid: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the intensifying coronavirus outbreak, cyber threats from drones, the vulnerabilities of the U.S. power grid, and more.

Mar 6, 2020
Essay

American News Habits and the Challenge of Truth Decay

RAND researchers asked people where they get their news, how reliable they think it is, and whether they seek out viewpoints that are different from their own. The results provide some new clues to help diagnose and treat Truth Decay.

Mar 4, 2020
Blog

Russian Subversion, Truth Decay, Supervised Drug Consumption Sites: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on responding to Russian subversion, how the media can help fight Truth Decay, the first supervised drug consumption site in the United States, artificial intelligence, and more.

Feb 28, 2020
Blog

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

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