Addressing Systemic Racism in America is Integral to Combating Disinformation and Preserving Our Democracy
By Camille Stewart
The #blacklivesmatter movement is a rallying cry for the fight against antiblack racism and police brutality, but is quickly becoming the greatest asset in our adversaries’ information warfare toolkit.
Bad foreign and domestic actors are seizing on worldwide protests and unrest following George Floyd’s murder to further sow division. As the 2020 election approaches, the weaponization of racial tensions in the U.S. will continue to exacerbate existing domestic divisions and continue to erode our position on the world stage. We’ve already seen Javad Zarif, Iran’s foreign minister, join the fray on Twitter, posting a picture of a previous press statement from the State Department in which references to Iranian behavior were crossed out and replaced with references to America. Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro has tweeted in support of the protests, and the Russian Embassy in the U.S. put out a report that’s critical of human rights in the United States.
While leveraging racial narratives to promote voter suppression and advance polarization in America is not new, this escalation of tensions is ripe for manipulation and likely to escalate violence and affect civic engagement through voter suppression. The voice of the disenfranchised is the best tool and target for mis- and dis- information. When coupled with a violent police response, rage — once at a slow boil — is now hitting a fever pitch, and a national leader who many consider racist and divisive, we are poised to experience rampant mis- & dis- information about the movement, the perspectives of Black Americans, and the responses of nonblack Americans that can tear this nation at the seams. Bad actors using the narrative to manipulate American sentiment is bound to impact an already polarizing election. In DC, we observed a well coordinated and well funded disinformation campaign that DC was on fire due to protesters under the hashtag #dcblackout. It was designed to cause panic, exacerbate tensions, and fuel distrust.
As a black woman who works on cybersecurity and disinformation both in the national security sector and in the private sector, I continue to watch the potency of weaponizing race and the manipulation of the voice of the disenfranchised be overlooked and underestimated. We haven’t done enough to address the root cause.
Racism is inarguably a national security issue, fighting racism and promoting diversity is a business imperative, and actively dismantling systemic racism is the solution we must all coalesce around.
Few would say unrest in the U.S. fueled by racial tension does not serve the interests of our adversaries, politically and economically, especially after the 2016 election. However, the sense
of urgency from our national security apparatus, domestic policy apparatus, and industry do not reflect that fundamental understanding that institutional racism in America must be eradicated.
As we seek to have a free and fair election in 2020 we cannot ignore the role race will play in the policy agenda, in political narratives and, most relevant, in the tactics used by adversaries, foreign and domestic, to promote voter suppression, polarization and distrust in our democracy. As leaders we need to name the problem, racism and bigotry. We must do the work through congressional hearings, studies, and research to understand how race impacts current systems and institutions, how those institutions support and promote systemic racism, and how we can mitigate its effects in the interim. The most important step is to reimagine new systems and implement protections that address inequality and inequity.
As a national security practitioner, I need my colleagues to recognize the strategic disadvantage of being silent and lead on taking action. As a cybersecurity and tech practitioner, I need my colleagues to give voice to their black and minority peers, to remember that race and other social issues are ripe for exploitation by the actors misusing your platforms and tools. In collaboration with a few partners and inspired by the #sharethemic Instagram campaign, we launched the Diversity in National Security Network #BlackNatSec Twitter campaign on Juneteeth. Today, is the #sharethemicincyber social media campaign! These campaigns center around allies amplifying Black practitioners in National Security & Cybersecurity. I hope these catalyze more action! I encourage you all to be creative in how you empower your peers and reimagine how you evaluate your work.
In this time where tech companies and the private sector are taking on new roles in policing speech and protecting user privacy, take those same liberties in the fight against racism and hatred. Bigotry, xenophobia, systemic inequality, inequity, institutional oppression, micro and macro aggressions and the many other manifestations of institutional racism and hate must be met with our loud and ardent rebuke and our ACTION.
This is a call to action for every person in every industry or sector to embrace action. To not only use your voice to rebuke racism but use your vote, your power, your dollars, and your work to advance antiracist and anti-hate institutions and agendas.
We must reimagine systems and institutions that live up to the ideals of our founders, we must protect our elections — free and fair elections are integral to representative democracy — and we must address information operations by naming and addressing the root cause, racism and bigotry.
— Camille Stewart is the former senior policy adviser for Cyber, Infrastructure & Resilience Policy at the Department of Homeland Security under President Obama, a co-Founder of Diversity in National Security Network, a New America Political Reform Fellow, and a Truman National Security Fellow.
