Democracy Dialogues: China, Technology, and Implications for the Americas

Speakers

• Dr. Samantha Hoffman, Senior Analyst, International Cyber Policy Centre, Australian Strategic Policy Institute
• Eric Farnsworth, Vice President, Americas Society/Council of the Americas (interviewer)

As the battle over 5G continues in Latin America and elsewhere, it’s important to remember that technology itself is inherently neutral—it’s who’s behind the development or the use of it that can color it, Samantha Hoffman told Eric Farnsworth in an AS/COA Democracy Dialogues event. She underscored how, while end-user data privacy is naturally important, “it's the people who have downstream access to the data that the technology produces,” whether that be a Western technology company or a heavy-handed government that deploys it.

Those state-run comment bots on articles? Don't underestimate them. “The kinds of technology that are being used [are] the data source for projecting more effective [Chinese] state propaganda over time. … It's undermining democratic discourse,” said Hoffman, citing her previous research on the topic. She noted also how, besides steering the conversation in a favorable direction, effective propaganda also attaches itself to genuine problems, citing how the Chinese Communist Party would insert itself into the discussion around anti-Asian racism conversations in the United States.