Amongst the list of concerns about elections this November is the impact of foreign influence. The scale and sophistication of Russia’s attempts to influence the 2016 elections have been well documented and perhaps its most effective efforts centered on the use of numerous social media platforms to promote then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump at the expense of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, and also to foment and heighten social and political divisions within the United States. Recently, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) warned Russia, China and Iran are all taking measures to influence the November elections, although using a separate set of tactics and techniques and with different goals and aims.

Professor Thomas Rid and former Special Advisor for Cyberspace Advisor Richard Clarke will bring their decades of experience on foreign influence and cybersecurity to discuss best practices, policies, and approaches to prevent or limit the impact of any such efforts.