The Biggest Enemy on Social Media Is the User

Daniella and Ed sit down with counterterrorism expert Clint Watts to discuss Russian election interference and social media usage.

Restoring Social Trust in Democracy, Democracy, Elections, Foreign Policy, National Security +2 More

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Former FBI special agent and counterterrorism expert Clint Watts joins Daniella and Ed to discuss the Russian disinformation campaign waged throughout the 2016 presidential election. He recounts how he researched for his new book—Messing with the Enemy: Surviving in a Social Media World of Hackers, Terrorists, Russians, and Fake News—by engaging with terrorists and terrorist sympathizers on social media. The conversation also touches on what can be done to protect American election security in 2018 and 2020 and why our current social media usage makes us targets for manipulation and hacking. Lastly, Watts shares what he has been paying attention to in pop culture.

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Daniella Gibbs Legér is the senior vice president for Communications and Strategy at the Center for American Progress. Ed Chung is the vice president for Criminal Justice Reform at the Center. Kyle Epstein is the senior media coordinator at the Center.

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