Government Agencies Must Adapt to Encrypted Apps

Marc B. Nathanson, pacificcouncil.org

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The following is based on remarks Marc Nathanson, co-chair of the Pacific Council and former chair of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, made to a State Department roundtable in September 2017.
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Much has changed in public diplomacy since the Senate disbanded the U.S. Information Agency (USIA) in 1999. The relationship between America and the rest of the world is heavily communicated through digital channels owned and operated by non-state actors with varying agendas and narratives. Looking forward, we can expect major societal disruptions in terms of communication technology in the next five to 10 years, and the leaders of America's public diplomacy efforts must deal with these changes rapidly.

Public diplomacy remains the best, most cost-effective way to promote democracy and American security, but it is only effective if messages are distributed through channels that the public uses regularly. Government—whether it be the State Department, the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), the National Security Agency (NSA), or the Department of Defense—acts much too slowly. Today, digital networks utilizing satellites, cell phones, tablets, television, radio, and computers are changing faster than official policy, and messaging to target audiences is becoming more complicated.

We must combat misinformation. We must dramatically increase our public diplomacy budgets four-fold for training, instant reaction, and developing meaningful dialogue. Fake news has violent consequences, so journalists have a duty to set the record straight as quickly as possible. The U.S. government must also react instantly to misinformation spread by our enemies.

Discovering who is spreading misinformation about American foreign policy on social media and messaging apps is now a major challenge. The State Department and other government agencies must understand and develop strategies for dealing with the dark future of misinformation and disinformation.

We must pay attention to these new messaging platforms and tell America's own story through them to counter misinformation.

Determining who is behind the spread of misinformation is difficult and will likely remain so. New, encrypted apps make this even more difficult. WhatsApp, a messaging service with 1 billion users that Facebook bought for $19 billion, is particularly challenging. It is so secure that not even the NSA can crack it, so terrorists and criminals feel comfortable using it. Not even the platform owners can always see what is being discussed by users.

WhatsApp has other social networking competitors such as Whisper, Viber, and Telegram. Many of these apps are encrypted and allow users to post anonymous messages, videos, and photos that then disappear. These apps are popular worldwide. A recent survey of over 70,000 people in 36 countries found 23 percent of respondents "find, share, or discuss" news using at least one of these messaging services. In Asian countries like Malaysia and Latin American countries like Brazil, it is over 50 percent. Meanwhile, the use of traditional apps like Facebook and Twitter is declining.

We must pay attention to these new messaging platforms and tell America's own story through them to counter misinformation. The era of misinformation is rapidly growing, often clandestinely led by nation states who want to discredit the United States. We need to combat this now with even greater resources in the future. The value of public diplomacy has risen steeply in light of the strategic challenges, as well as opportunities, currently facing the United States.
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Marc Nathanson is co-chair of the Pacific Council and served as chair of the U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors.