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  • Capt. Sarah Miller and Tech. Sgt. Carrol Brewster discuss options in response to a staged cyber attack during filming of a scene for an AFRC mission video at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, June 1, 2019, photo by Maj. Christopher Vasquez/U.S. Air Force

    Report

    Combating Foreign Disinformation on Social Media

    Jul 19, 2021

    Disinformation campaigns on social media pose a nuanced threat. But much of the U.S. response remains ad hoc and uncoordinated. It's unclear who has the edge moving forward, because disinformation techniques and countermeasures are evolving simultaneously.

  • SpaceX Starlink mission, <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/spacex/47926144123/">photo</a> by SpaceX/ <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/">CC BY 2.0</a>

    Commentary

    Satellite Internet Services—Fostering the Dictator's Dilemma?

    Apr 12, 2021

    The ability to provide relatively low cost internet access outside of government control is both a challenge for authoritarian states and an opportunity for democracies. What are low-altitude, low-latency satellites and why are authoritarian states so concerned?

Explore The Internet

  • A smartphone showing the Islamic State logo in front of a screen showing the Telegram logo in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, November 18, 2015

    Commentary

    ISIS's Social Media Use Poses a Threat to Stability in the Middle East and Africa

    The importance of social media in projecting violent extremist propaganda and recruiting foreign fighters is well documented. As ISIS attempts to regroup and recuperate, investigating its use of information and communication technologies could be important to understanding the group's plans to regain territorial control.

    Dec 11, 2018

  • Man using a laptop in a dark room

    Report

    Assessing Online Campaigns Countering Violent Extremism

    Efforts to counter violent extremism online have grown, but measuring their impact is complicated. An assessment of one such campaign finds that individuals searching for violent jihadist or far-right content clicked on ads that offered alternative narratives at a rate on par with industry standards.

    Dec 10, 2018

  • World map with electronic circuits

    Commentary

    When Cyber Attacks Occur, Who Should Investigate?

    Data breaches and cyberattacks cross geopolitical boundaries, targeting individuals, corporations and governments. Creating a global body with a narrow focus on investigating and assigning responsibility for cyberattacks could be the first step to creating a digital world with accountability.

    Dec 6, 2018

  • News Release

    News Release

    RAND Report Evaluates Possible Economic Benefits of Using 5.9 GHz Band for WiFi

    Opening up the 5.9 GHz frequency band for WiFi use could result in significant economic benefits, both in terms of contribution to GDP and in economic surplus.

    Nov 29, 2018

  • Wireless communication network

    Report

    Opening Up the 5.9 GHz Frequency Band for WiFi Use Could Result in Significant Economic Benefits

    Wireless communications play an important role in generating economic prosperity and opportunity, yet there are few empirically driven estimates on how WiFi contributes to the economy. RAND researchers filled this gap by estimating the potential economic value of the 5.9 GHz frequency band.

    Nov 28, 2018

  • Social network icons focused on Africa section of world map, overlaid on photo of hand holding a mobile phone, photo by Igor/Adobe Stock

    Journal Article

    Social Media in Africa: A Double-Edged Sword for Security and Development: Research Brief

    The United Nations Development Programme commissioned RAND Europe to explore social media use and its links to online radicalisation in Africa. The study analysed the social media use of three Islamist terrorist groups across seven countries.

    Nov 5, 2018

  • Journal Article

    Journal Article

    Social Media in Africa: A Double-Edged Sword for Security and Development

    The United Nations Development Programme commissioned RAND Europe to explore social media use and its links to online radicalisation in Africa. The study analysed the social media use of three Islamist terrorist groups across seven countries.

    Nov 5, 2018

  • Journal Article

    Journal Article

    Social Media in Africa: A Double-Edged Sword for Security and Development

    The United Nations Development Programme commissioned RAND Europe to explore social media use and its links to online radicalisation in Africa. The study analysed the social media use of three Islamist terrorist groups across seven countries.

    Nov 5, 2018

  • Journal Article

    Journal Article

    Social Media in Africa: A Double-Edged Sword for Security and Development: Technical Annex

    An annex of supporting information for the report, containing thematic content in relation to the countries examined and the three case study terrorist groups analysed, alongside content relating to the Twitter data analysis and interviews conducted.

    Nov 5, 2018

  • The Security Operation Centre for Telstra, Australia's biggest telecoms firm, which is used to monitor, detect and respond to security incidents, including cyber attacks, in Sydney, Australia, August 24, 2017

    Commentary

    Financial Frameworks for Cybersecurity Are Failing

    Cybersecurity has become a team sport. But all participants on the field are playing without clear rules, without a team approach, and without knowing when to pass the ball or to whom.

    Oct 25, 2018

  • Journal Article

    Journal Article

    The Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons on the Dark Web: A Study

    A summary of the main findings and implications of the first empirical study investigating the scale and scope of arms trafficking on the dark web, illustrating the range of weapons traded, their market price and most common transit routes.

    Oct 24, 2018

  • Woman's eye with technology of security concept

    Commentary

    The Perils of Connecting Our Bodies to the Internet

    High-tech health care solutions are part of an emerging sector of medical technologies that monitor personal health data by essentially connecting your body to the Internet. As smart devices in health care evolve, the line between human and machine is blurring, and creating new concerns about consumer safety and privacy rights.

    Oct 15, 2018

  • Cybersecurity locks illustration superimposed over a photo of Tokyo at night

    Report

    Preparing for Cybersecurity Threats to the 2020 Olympics

    The Olympic Games are an attractive target for hackers. An examination of Japan's cybersecurity threat landscape and lessons from past events can help planners reduce cybersecurity risks in advance of the 2020 Tokyo Games.

    Oct 4, 2018

  • Report

    Report

    An Evaluation of New Mexico's Online Intake System for Civil Legal Aid

    This report describes an evaluation of the online intake system for civil legal aid that New Mexico implemented in April 2016 to better assess the effects online intake systems might have in practice.

    Sep 28, 2018

  • Testimony

    Testimony

    Russian Social Media Influence: Understanding Russian Propaganda in Eastern Europe: Addendum

    Document submitted August 30, 2018, as an addendum to testimony before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on August 1, 2018.

    Aug 31, 2018

  • The Facebook logo is pictured during the Viva Tech start-up and technology summit in Paris, France, May 25, 2018

    Commentary

    Freedom of the Internet 'Press'

    The First Amendment enables companies such as Facebook to publish what they choose. Arguing against this right could lead to government regulation over digital media. It could also further degrade the reliability of online information.

    Aug 10, 2018

  • RAND researcher Anna Elizabeth 'Nancy' Nimitz, September 1, 1958

    Content

    A Brief History of RAND

    RAND was incorporated as a nonprofit corporation in 1948. From its early years to the present, RAND research is characterized by its objectivity and nonpartisanship, its quality and scientific rigor, and its dedication to improving policymaking on the most pressing issues of the day.

    Aug 3, 2018

  • Report

    Report

    Developing Cybersecurity Capacity: A proof-of-concept implementation guide

    This document is a proof-of-concept operational toolbox designed to facilitate the development of national-level cybersecurity capacity building programmes and of holistic policy and investment strategies to tackle challenges in the cyber domain.

    Aug 2, 2018

  • Vehicles of Russian state-controlled broadcaster Russia Today are seen near Red Square in Moscow, Russia, June 15, 2018

    Testimony

    Russia's Social Media Influence in Eastern Europe

    Russia is engaged in an active, worldwide propaganda campaign, but it is particularly interested in targeting its western border. What can the United States and allied governments do to limit Russian influence in the region?

    Aug 1, 2018

  • Social network illustration superimposed over a city at night

    Report

    How Police Could Use Social Media and Social Network Analysis

    Social media and social network analysis could help law enforcement monitor for safety threats, identify those at high risk for involvement in violence, and investigate crimes and crime networks. But computer security, privacy, and civil rights protections must be in place before using these tools.

    Jul 18, 2018

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