The emergence of social media has created a new vulnerability for open societies - a terrain crowded with illiberal propaganda, interference and weaponised narratives. In an age where accusations of the fake news, privacy invasion and information warfare are rife, come along to hear a panel of leading Cyber Security Commentators discuss their take on the interaction and policy ramifications of social media, fake news and privacy in today’s world.

This event is co-hosted by the ANU National Security College and ANU Learning Communities.The panel members include:

Chris Zappone is a foreign news editor at The Age where he writes about online propaganda and social media influence campaigns. He broke the news about Russian information war efforts aimed at the US 2016 election. Chris also blogs at ColdWarDaily.com. He is a fellow at the Futures Council at the Australian National University’s National Security College.

Rachael Falk is the Chief Executive Officer of the Cyber Security Research Centre Limited (Cyber CRC). The Cyber CRC is a not-for-profit company that will deliver innovative research and solutions with an Australia-wide approach in response to the ever changing cyber threat landscape. The Cyber CRC currently has 26 participants, of which nine are industry and SME partners and 10 are government departments/agencies.

Rachael has held several senior roles in cyber security both at Telstra and in other industries. Prior to making the move into cyber security, she practiced as a lawyer for 15 years.

Rachael has a keen interest in legislative and policy issues surrounding cyber security.

Rachael also holds a Bachelor of Arts from the ANU and Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from the University of Technology (Sydney) and in 2016 graduated from the ANU with an Advanced Masters in National Security Policy (Hons) from the National Security College.

Matthew Sussex is the Academic Director at the National Security College. His main research specialisation is on Russian foreign and security policy, but his interests also cover: government and politics in Eurasia; strategic studies; terrorism and counter-terrorism; energy security; and Australian foreign policy. He is particularly interested in contemporary trends in violent conflict, especially in ‘hybrid’ warfare and in the evolution of propaganda.

Prior to joining NSC Dr Sussex was Director of Politics and International Relations at the University of Tasmania. He has served on the National Executive of the Australian Institute for International Affairs and has been Associate Editor of the Australian Journal of International Affairs. He is also currently a Non-resident Fellow at the Lowy Institute for International Policy. Dr Sussex’s research has previously been awarded funding by the Australian Research Council (Discovery Projects), the Australia-US Fulbright Commission and the International Studies Association, amongst others.

Dr Sussex’s recent solo or collaborative book projects include Eurasian Integration, Central Asia and the New Geopolitics of Energy (Palgrave, 2015); Power, Politics and Confrontation in Eurasia (Palgrave, 2015); Violence and the State (Manchester University Press, 2015), and Conflict in the Former USSR (Cambridge University Press, 2012).

Light refreshments will be provided afterwards.

(Main image: Associated Press Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)