Information Infrastructure and Control

• Informational infrastructure encompasses the people, programs, outlets, and stakeholders involved in the creation, use, and distribution of information, be it real or fake
• Communications critical infrastructure refers to the physical elements used to transmit information like wires, telephone poles, and satellites
• Informational infrastructure refers to the information being transmitted, the platforms used to disseminate it, social media, and tools used to manipulate information.

History of Information Control

• Leaders have always desired to control the information the public knows
• Freedom of expression is a foundational principle in the U.S. However, during wars, the U.S. and other countries have enacted temporary laws to limit or edit information
• This impacts everyone, from soldiers communicating with loved ones to journalists

Case Study: Hiroshima

• During World War II, the U.S. government required news outlets to run information through the "Office of Censorship"
• Information that threatened the war effort or morale was suppressed
• After the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, news outlets were prevented from sharing information about the consequences, including radiation and the death toll
• The government restricted access, intercepted information, and used the Office of Censorship

Key Ideas

• Morale is crucial during war, especially in democracies
• Censorship was easier when information was limited in scope
• Control of communication sectors and informational infrastructures was achievable

Democracy vs. Authoritarianism

• Democracies involve public voting for leaders, leaders being voted out, peaceful transitions of power, and the government needing public support
• Authoritarianism involves self-imposed leaders through military coups or rigged elections, leaders serving for life, violent power transitions, and suppression of public opinion
• Democracies rely on informed citizens to decide who to give power to

Democratic Peace Hypothesis

• Argues that democracies are less likely to fight each other
• Public support for wars is necessary; anti-war sentiment can lead to leaders being voted out, similar to the response to the Vietnam War

Conflict and Information

• Various entities might seek to influence U.S. citizens' views
• The Soviet Union, and now Russia, have historically been major influencers of U.S. public opinion
• During the Cold War (1945-1990), the U.S. and the Soviet Union competed for global influence, using information and its manipulation as a key tool in the capitalism vs. communism battle

Delicate Balance

• Major powers used to undermine other governments
• The spread of information and misinformation now allows such actions to happen to them
• Election security requires trust in results, but political division poses a challenge
• Protecting America's sovereignty is more than physical; it involves safeguarding public trust in democracy

Rapid Change and Susceptibility

• Rapid change in recent decades contributes to susceptibility
• The internet's explosion from the 1990s onward
• Cell phones becoming computers since the 2000s
• Social media, algorithms, and big data have transformed information
• Understanding the impact of these changes and preparing for them is difficult due to cybercrime

Disinformation vs. Misinformation

• Disinformation is purposefully wrong; misinformation is accidentally wrong
• Misinformation is false or inaccurate information
• Disinformation is deliberate content that spreads fear and suspicion
• AI has created synthetic media, involving artificial production, manipulation, and modification of data and multimedia to mislead/change original meaning

Spreading Mis/Disinformation

• Mis/disinformation spreads because it is often more "clickable" than the truth
• Algorithms play a huge role in spreading it
• Algorithms use data to train and suggest content that you are more likely to interact with, with data being sold and tracked across apps
• Confirmation bias plays a significant role

The 2016 Election

• Russia used bots to spread disinformation and invested in Trump's candidacy by discrediting Hilary Clinton
• Russia's interference in the election posed a threat to homeland security; undermining democracy and creating political division, with Russia previously deterred by a less divided US

War in Ukraine

• Russia is using disinformation tactics on its own people
• Authoritarian states control information and limit access to websites and platforms
• Russia told its citizens there was no war, but a liberation from Nazis
• Russia detains those who question the war
• Ukraine is a former Soviet state important to Russia
• Russia has always wanted Ukraine back, considering parts of it Russian, and Ukraine's desire to join NATO poses a huge threat to Russia

Attacks on Information

• Technological advances and instant information availability exacerbate the problem
• It is now possible to create evidence indistinguishable from reality
• Those who get their news from social media are more likely to believe false claims

Deepfakes and Distrust

• Deepfakes are manipulated media
• Conspiracies, especially after events like 9/11, contribute to distrust
• There is a fear surrounding forged pictures, fake videos, and their potential impact on evidence and trust in government

Bots

• Bots are software programs that perform automated tasks
• They often imitate human behavior, with up to half of internet traffic being bots used for various purposes, with lots of it faking social media engagement/malware
• Bots can be purchased and used to push topics toward trending positions
• Twitter claims less than 5% of accounts are bots, but researchers estimate 0-15%
• The FBI and CISA have issued alerts about Russian bots spreading disinformation

Harmony Square Game

• Developed by the University of Cambridge
• Models how misinformation is spread
• Aims to improve people's ability to spot manipulation techniques in social media posts, increase confidence, and reduce willingness to share manipulative content

Disinformation Globally

• Facebook is the only form of the internet in some countries
• WhatsApp is a main form of communication in India, where chain messages with false information have been shared billions of times, prompting policy changes

Nontraditional Threats Lecture

Introduction

• Nontraditional homeland security threats include threats to the lives of citizens, economic security, and the security of the country
• Nontraditional threats require responses outside typical law enforcement behavior
• Examples include: the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters, and trafficking

Natural Disasters Overview

• Natural disasters are a threat to homeland security as they cause death and severe economic damage
• FEMA is the agency under DHS responsible for natural disaster response

Types of Natural Disasters

• Fires, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes
• Risks vary by region in the U.S., with Georgia being at risk for hurricanes and earthquakes
• Tsunamis are less likely

Death Toll of Natural Disasters

• Natural disasters kill around 45,000 people a year globally.
• They account for about 0.1% of deaths over the last decade
• Although storms are increasing in severity, death tolls are decreasing due to improved building infrastructure, prevention, and early detection
• Historically, droughts and floods were the most fatal events, but now earthquakes tend to be more deadly due to unpredictability and the ability to ship food

Impact of Natural Disasters

• Disasters disproportionately affect those in poverty due to unsafe buildings and limited infrastructure
• The 1931 & 1887 China floods were respectively the 1st & 2nd worst natural disasters in history, with a combined death toll of nearly 6 million people
• The 1900 Galveston TC hurricane was the deadliest in U.S. history, killing 6,000-8,000 people

US Natural Disaster Response

• FEMA employs more than 20,000 people and provides tools and information for preparedness, along with grants.
• FEMA is responsible for preparing communities and on-the-ground response
• Criticism faced includes Hurricane Katrina (2005)
• The agency identified three key areas for attention: climate change resilience, reducing risks to critical infrastructure, and increasing equity in preparedness

Local Response

• State/local officials are responsible for preparing, evacuating/search and rescue, and providing shelters/food

Climate Refugees

• Climate refugees are individuals forced to flee due to inhospitable conditions created by climate change
• Inhospitable conditions include droughts, heatwaves, flooding/landslides, and a lack of food/resources

Key Takeaways on Climate

• Think about the number of people in at-risk areas who might need to relocate, and consider the moral impacts of who is contributing to climate change the most

Threat of Disease

• Reflecting on the Covid-19 pandemic may provide insights into the preparedness of the U.S. and the world

Disease Outbreaks

• The SARS outbreak in Toronto in 2003 had a 10% death rate
• In the last decade, the world had potential mass diseases

Emerging Pathogens

• Climate change thaws the Arctic permafrost
• Unknown pathogens are discovered in frozen ground

Current Vulnerabilities To The US

• Frequent movement of individuals/goods make disease spread more rapid
• Lack of supply such as PPE
• Division and misinformation
• Lack of trust
• Lack of coordination

Human Trafficking

• Human trafficking involves force, fraud, or coercion to obtain labor or sex acts;
• This happens globally, affecting people of all demographics, with traffickers using violence/manipulation

Multi-Phase Process of Human Trafficking

• Recruitment, transport, coercion, fraud, and force

Types of Human Trafficking

• Forced labor, contract slavery, domestic servitude, and sex trafficking are included
• Bonded labor involves using debt to control victims; that can be inherited. Migrant farm workers are are especially vulnerable

Drug Trafficking

• Combating drug use focuses on either supply reduction or demand reduction
• In the 1970s and 1980s, the U.S. poured billions of dollars to the "War on Drugs" including attacking the supply in Latin America
• The "War on Drugs" resulted in increased drug prices, made cartels wealthy, and led to mass incarceration

Current State of Drug Crime

• Cartels and organized crime are powerful in Latin America, destabilizing countries
• Many illicit drugs are imported into the U.S., and some are manufactured locally
• Main sources include China, Mexico, other Latin American countries, and Afghanistan

Fentanyl

• Is 100x more potent than morphine, causing the opioid epidemic to drastically increase
• Before the pandemic, China produced Fentanyl cleanly
• Shutdowns shifted the trade to Mexico
• Cartels are making it impure so its mixed with chemicals

CBRN Overview

• CBRN incidents are one of the worst-case scenarios for homeland security, including both intentional attacks and accidents
• Causes many deaths, injuries, difficult to detect, and injures first responders

Potential Perpetrators

• Governments/terrorist groups but unlikely for the latter
• Would need lots of resources, unlikely to be lone wolves unless specific individuals with access and know-how like scientists

Potential Weapon Sources

• Theft from labs, companies, and military
• Loose Soviet Nukes

FEMA CBRN Office

• The FEMA CBRN Office prepares the nation to respond to and recover from CBRN events ranging from mass destruction to HAZMAT spills
• They also provide standardized CBRN response capabilities to federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial emergency responders and planners

First Use of Chemical Weapons

• Chlorine gas was used in WW1: A greenish-yellow cloud that irritates eyes/noses/lungs- Causes potential asphyxiation at high dosages
• Phosgene Gas: Colorless gas that smelled like moldy hay that took days to kill but was 6x more deadly than chlorine and responsible for 85% of war kills in WW1
• Mustard gas smelled terrible or like dead horses that caused blindness and boils

Chemical Warfare

• After WW1, the world signed an agreement not to use chemical weapons
• Nerve agents are released through aerosol sprays or vapors, in the water, or into food
• Syria used Sarin Gas on citizens
• Union Carbide Incident in Bhopal: Industrial accidents are concerning today

Most People Think of Anthrax As...

• A white powder that can be contracted through breathing it in or getting a cut. It is non-contagious and is naturally rare
• Toxin is naturally occurring in castor beans, poising can be made from waste material and can be a powder, mist, or pallet
• Ricin is non-contagious

Radiological vs. Nuclear Emergencies

• Difference between radiological and nuclear emergencies is that nuclear incidents involve detonation of a nuclear device whereas radiological incidents produce radiation without detonation of a nuclear device
• Radiological: Victims can be contaminated and exposed, with examples being an RDD
• Nuclear: Involves a nuclear explosion

Nuclear Attacks

• Only nuclear bombs dropped: Hiroshima and Nagasaki (1945) with death toll estimates starting at 70k and ending at 140k
• After WW2 US scientists leaked nuke intel to the Soviets
• We are afraid of the government launching nuclear weapons, not a lone wolf
• Radiation would impact critical infrastructure

Cybersecurity History

• Early computers have advanced to devices that are now cell phones
• Tech disrupts traditional markets

Whitehouse Current Strategy

• Shift the burden of responsibility away from individuals and towards organizations capable of protecting
• In 2015 companies started sharing cyberthreats; legislation now mandates companies in critical sectors must alert the government when hit

Cybersecurity

• Pervious legislation protected data being stolen and now focuses on reporting

Cybercrimes Most Common In The US

• Business emails, data breaches, denial of service, distributed denial of service, and ransomware
• Most likely way for the world to be detroyed is by accident

Cyber Pentagon

• Pentagon's 5 Ds: deny, degrade, disrupt, deceive, destroy and its used on the US

Market Manipulation and Zero-Days

• AI programs are not innovative, but they replicate existing actions that cause flawed code
• Cybersecurity and intelligence agencies engage in unregulated recordless operations
• Companies buy zero-days in order exploit those bugs
• Feds use apps to hunt cyber criminals and terroritsts

9/11 And CyberwarFare

• Exploitation/spy programs became heavily targeted
• Capabilities of the NSA are far bigger than Snowden

AI's Role

• AI trains on existing algorithms
• Can create errors
• The code has gotten too large

Infiltration

• China uses intel against their own people
• People in the Uighur muslim community
• Saudis use spies get jobs at twitter to collect info
• If the cyber tool is being developed, then what does that mean for the US?

Geneva and The US

• We sign treaties and then break them
• We are unpredictable right now

Ukraine Invasion And Cyberwarfare

• Russia has a long history of playing with cyberwarefare
• There are cyber risks

Miss Disinformation

• Miss information is accidents,
• Disinformation is purposeful