Information operations and foreign interferences are among the greatest threats facing nation states today as information warfare has intensified around the world. Yet, there are serious gaps in our knowledge and understanding of the working and impacts of information operations and foreign interferences in the Asia Pacific region. This roundtable brings together representatives from government, academia, think-tanks and industry to share their knowledge and perspectives on these issues and discuss implications for the Australian Defence Force.

Moderator:

Dr Aim Sinpeng is a Senior Lecturer in Comparative Politics in the Department of Government and International Relations. Her research interests centre on the relationships between digital media and political participation in Southeast Asia. She is particularly interested in the issues of social media campaigning, disinformation, online public opinion manipulation and electoral interference.

Speakers: 

Anastasia Kapetas is the National Security Editor at The Strategist, Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI).

Frank Smith is the director of the Cyber and Innovation Policy Institute (CIPI), part of the Strategic and Operational Research Department in the Center for Naval Warfare Studies at the U.S. Naval War College.

Mark Manantan is the resident Vasey fellow at Pacific Forum, Hawai’i and the AI research and policy consultant at the Asia Society Policy Institute in Washington D.C.

Dr Gulizar Haciyakupoglu is a Research Fellow at the Centre of Excellence for National Security (CENS), S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore.

12:00 PM in Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney