Canberra: Microsoft has warned the world to prepare for Russian disinformation threats around the Paris Olympics due to open on 26 July. Last week, Australia’s Home Affairs Department demanded higher standards in government agencies for cyber defence against foreign influence and disinformation. At an International Webinar on 25 July, the Social Cyber Institute (SCI) will convene leading specialists to address Australian disinformation defences and make specific recommendations for new approaches.
The webinar will feature Professor Dan Svantesson, Bond University, and Professor Mathieu O’Neil, University of Canberra. They are calling for the adoption of whole-of-society approaches to defence of the cyber information environment. Their studies have identified the absence of an appropriate national coordination institution designed to counter disinformation threats comprehensively.
‘Australia needs to prepare for things to get worse, including the risk of military conflict in our region’, Svantesson said. ‘In 2022, one month before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Sweden set up a new Psychological Defence Agency to counter modern information warfare, but Australia has yet to react in a way that recognises the central role of the community in providing that defence’.
‘To underpin specific institutional reforms, Australia needs to develop a concept of community-based information literacy that aims for a shared sense of truth and societal trust’, O’Neil said. ‘Information resilience to defeat cognitive harms has to be collectively experienced and developed – starting with education systems and school rooms’.
Professor Greg Austin, the Director of Research at SCI, echoed the threat warning from Microsoft around the Olympics. ‘The Gaza War will probably be a major focus of public protests in Paris during the Olympics and global media will see a spike in fake news and covert actions from Russia affecting Australian interests at that time,’ he said.
Relevant Reports
- Crowdsourcing an Australian cyber intelligence and information militia (Social Cyber Institute, released 8 July 2024)
- What does it look like for Australia to Use all Tools of Statecraft in the Information Environment (AP4D, April 2024)
- Building Resilience with Information Literacy and Information Health (News and Media Research Centre, University of Canberra, August 2023)
Key Facts:
There is confusion in Australia about which agency leads on defeating disinformation.
We need new mechanisms to do a better job.
These might include community-sourced militia units or a specific school curriculum for information hygiene
About us:
The Social Cyber Institute (SCI) creates new social science insights to complement technology in the fight for a more secure cyberspace. SCI is a non-profit organisation supported by the Social Cyber Group which offers advisory and training services in cyber policy.
Contact details:
Greg Austin +61 450190323 greg.austin@socialcyber.co
Dan Svantesson dasvante@bond.edu.au
Mathieu O’Neil mathieu.oneil@canberra.edu.au
