The Next Big Internet Threat

People are worried about what’s happening on the internet—and they should be. In just the past few months, Americans have seen massive social turmoil over the deletion of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ accounts from digital platforms; the public disclosure of criminal charges for Russian interference in the upcoming midterm elections; and other continuing developments in disinformation operations, such as the the Kremlin’s new digital campaign to turn U.S. public opinion against taking military action against Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria. But these latest incidents are only part of a far bigger trend. In our novel digital age, it has become far too easy for bad actors to spread harmful content far and wide, swiftly and with just the click of a button.Story Continued Below All told, the internet age has seen four major waves of digital threats. None of these challenges has been entirely resolved, and the more recent of them remain serious threats, not just to the integrity of online dialogue but to American security and democracy. But the fifth wave is now fast upon us—and it might prove the thorniest of all. The first wave was the exploitation of children, which should’ve been an omen of how dark… Read full this story

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