Excited to share “AI Cooperation under the Shadow of China’s Digital Silk Road” tinyurl.com/3jkap6x5 examining how the PRC advances AI ties across the Global South & offers actionable recs for democracies to compete through partner agency, interoperability, sustainable financing,& capacity-building.

AI cooperation under the shadow of China’s Digital Silk Road

China’s Digital Silk Road has become a central channel through which Beijing engages Global South countries on digital infrastructure and, increasingly, artificial intelligence.

tinyurl.com

I’m speaking at @Lauder Institute’s Global Futures Symposium on Feb 19-20 in Philadelphia. I’m discussing the PRC's integration of AI for adversarial use, and potential data security issues related to use of PRC AI applications. Register here! lauder.wharton.upenn.edu/futures-symp...

Global Futures Symposium

The Lauder Institute’s inaugural Global Futures Symposium (GFS): National Security Meets the Global Marketplace will take place on February 19-20, 2026 in Philadelphia, PA.

lauder.wharton.upenn.edu

Take a gander below at this WaPo writeup of some of my work on PRC actions in the info space re: Venezuela

Eto Buziashvili@buziashvili.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Our research in the WaPo spotlight today: Yours truly looked at how swiftly Russian influence infrastructure moved to shape US discourse on Venezuela - zooming in on the critical first 48 hours. My colleague @kentonthibaut.bsky.social examined the Chinese online infrastructure. 1/3

A Tactical Framework to Counter and Prevent Transnational Repression w/ @atlanticcouncil.bsky.social by me & @marcuskolga.bsky.social @kentonthibaut.bsky.social nthibaut.bsky.social @nosumacero.bsky.social y.social @lisandranovo.bsky.social Threads⚡️x 7 www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-res...

China’s state-driven connectivity financing is brittle. We should lean into blended finance + specialized intermediaries-they unlock private capital, manage risk & build sustainable infrastructure on democratic terms. Watch our @atlanticcouncil.bsky.social event 👇 www.youtube.com/live/Mhi0tOa...

Creative investment approaches to compete with China in the Global South

YouTube video by AtlanticCouncil

youtube.com

TikTok v RedNote? As TikTok's fate is once again at stake in the U.S., @kentonthibaut.bsky.social, Senior China Fellow at the Atlantic Council's Data Forensic Research Lab, explains how rival app RedNote stacks up in terms of personal security.

In this @dfrlab.bsky.social piece, Dylan Plung of NBR & I highlight the case of China IO targeting Japan to argue open societies need comprehensive digital strategies integrating domestic modernization, cybersecurity, & FIMI resilience. We provide specific recs for how to do it: shorturl.at/worXz

Japan’s technology paradox: the challenge of Chinese disinformation

Japan serves as an important case study to illustrate an unappreciated aspect of fostering information resilience against malign influence

dfrlab.org

The popular DNA test kit company 23andMe announced yesterday that it has filed for bankruptcy and is looking for a buyer. And while the company has promised to continue protecting customer data amidst a possible sale, Wirecutter’s tech experts think you should delete your data now.

23andMe Just Filed for Bankruptcy. You Should Delete Your Data Now.

23andMe is up for sale—which means your data is, too.

nyti.ms

Development can be profitable AND strategic. We argue that investing in connectivity offers MASSIVE financial opportunities for the US, while countering China's growing digital footprint. We outline specific recs to make the Development Finance Corporation fit for this purpose: shorturl.at/IKxV3

Connecting the other half of humanity is the deal of the century

China is investing billions in global internet infrastructure through its Digital Silk Road Initiative, advancing its interests over the US.

dfrlab.org

President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order aimed at reducing the scope of eight federal agencies as part of his campaign to downsize the US government.

Trump Signs Order Seeking to Reduce More Federal Agencies

President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order aimed at reducing the scope of eight federal agencies as part of his campaign to downsize the US government.

bloomberg.com

5 former Secretaries of Defense call on Congress to exercise oversight responsibility on Trump-Hegseth firing of senior military leaders: The "dismissals raise troubling questions about the administration’s desire to politicize the military and to remove legal constraints on the President’s power."

Americans flocked to Xiaohongshu (RedNote) in January due to the TikTok ban. But what's the difference between Xiaohongshu, TikTok, & Douyin? What narratives proliferate on it? What are tradeoffs between propaganda wins & information control for the CCP? Ryan DeVries & I explain: shorturl.at/UjRJE

What the TikTok ban and Xiaohongshu's brief popularity reveal about US-China relations and their tech sectors

Influx of US users to RedNote amid TikTok ban limbo presents propaganda opportunities and censorship challenges for China

shorturl.at

OMB director Russ Vought has officially begun carrying out his section of Project 2025. Technical thread to follow, but it’s really important - this is a major path through which the Trump administration will illegally impound funding, refusing to carry out some of our spending laws.

#DontAbandonUkraine: The Complete Thread bsky.app/profile/benj...

Benjamin Wittes@benjaminwittes.lawfaremedia.org · last yr.

It’s very simple. #DontAbandonUkraine

In the world of privacy coverage, there has always been a central question of who is a greater threat to it: the government or corporate America. Now with DOGE, the two are merged into one: www.nytimes.com/2025/02/19/u...

Struggle Over Americans’ Personal Data Plays Out Across the Government (Gift Article)

Employees from Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency are gaining access to vast amounts of information held by federal agencies, even as lawsuits try to stop them.

nytimes.com

For my 1st piece since leaving government, I partnered w/ @richardmnephew.bsky.social on a piece for @warontherocks.bsky.social. We take stock of where we are on Iran, and where we should go, including steps to prevent a nuke & reconstitution of the proxy network. warontherocks.com/2025/02/trum...

Trump Has a Rare and Short Window to Solve the Iran Problem — Here’s How - War on the Rocks

Donald Trump is likely the last president that will get a chance to stop Iran from building a nuclear arsenal. Will he succeed? Tehran has been on the

warontherocks.com

I missed this yesterday, but new Attorney General Pam Bondi used her first day on the job to disband the FBI's Foreign Influence Task Force, which has been a key part of government efforts to stop adversaries from meddling in U.S. democracy: https://bit.ly/4jK0RC5

Okay, you're ready to step into the fray. This week is focused on two things: 1) getting federal level reps to push back on Elon Musk's hostile takeover of our federal bureaucracy and federal payments system (bonus points for also saying stand up to these stupid and destructive tariffs) and

Sarah Bauerle Danzman@sarahbauerled.bsky.social · 2y ago

A clear explanation of how the Trump/Musk power grab will do untold harm to us all. This is a 5 alarm fire. No president, regardless of party, should have such direct control over the disbursement of federal funds. Now, a thread on what to do:

It was great to work with @bellingcat.com on this piece. We discussed how Chinese companies obfuscate shady goings-on via networks of LLCs registered abroad. I also discussed data gathering practices of some companies, which are used to build datasets of valuable targets for Chinese intel agencies.

Beau Donelly@beaudonelly.bsky.social · 2y ago

The Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab's @kentonthibaut.bsky.social discusses privacy and security concerns of apps linked to China for our @bellingcat.com piece about the tech companies promoted by the MrDeepFakes porn website. www.bellingcat.com/news/uk-and-...

This week, Chinese AI startup DeepSeek’s R1 rattled the US after it was found to match OpenAI’s o1 model across a number of core tasks. DFRLab’s @kentonthibaut.bsky.social examines what DeepSeek’s breakthrough says and doesn’t say about the ‘AI race’ with China:

What DeepSeek’s breakthrough says (and doesn’t say) about the ‘AI race’ with China

DeepSeek’s achievement has not exactly undermined the United States’ export control strategy, but it does bring up important questions about the broader US strategy on AI.

atlanticcouncil.org

In this piece for @lawfare.bsky.social, I argue that focusing tech policy solely on Chinese security risks overlooks systemic flaws in the U.S. tech ecosystem that could end up undermining national security in the long run. Many thanks to the colleagues who provided great feedback for the piece!

Lawfare@lawfaremedia.org · 2y ago

As U.S. policymakers increasingly frame tech regulation in terms of a rivalry with China, @kentonthibaut.bsky.social writes that, absent a more comprehensive strategy, these measures will fail to address systemic national security issues.

As we wait to see the Trump admin's plans re: AI & national security, we asked industry experts what nat sec principles & policy choices in Biden's AI NSM should be carried forward, what should change, & where there is natural continuity between Trump & Biden's approaches👇 dfrlab.org/2025/01/17/a...

National Security Memorandum (NSM) on Artificial Intelligence: Democracy + Tech Initiative Markup

On October 24, 2024, the Biden Administration released its National Security Memorandum (NSM) on Artificial Intelligence. Read along with AC Tech Programs staff, fellows, and industry experts for comm...

dfrlab.org

As I say in this Foreign Policy piece, a big problem with the TikTok conversation is it frames the risk to Americans’ data security as a problem that can be solved by a ban. But we still end up leaving a larger & arguably more consequential swath of US data unprotected & available for purchase.

Rishi Iyengar@iyengarish.bsky.social · 2y ago

As 170 million Americans await news on TikTok's survival beyond Sunday, I took a stab at some key questions (with the help of @anupamchander.bsky.social, @kentonthibaut.bsky.social and prospective TikTok buyer Frank McCourt) for @foreignpolicy.com foreignpolicy.com/2025/01/16/t...

The TikTok "ban" is a great TP for the CCP to undermine U.S. leadership on the open internet, especially as Xiaohongshu trends to #1 in the app store, and its CEO welcomes American "TikTok refugees." 🤦‍♀️ CCP State Media is positively GLEEFUL. We need a better approach. dfrlab.org/2024/02/14/t...

TikTok: Hate the Game, Not the Player

How strategic and regulatory confusion around TikTok prevent an effective national security response

dfrlab.org

"By retrenching on its content policies, Meta is reneging on previous statements that it wanted to create a safe and open space for people on its platforms...the pullback...will inevitably be felt offline." @markscott.bsky.social on Meta's decision to axe fact-checking: tinyurl.com/3v9vrkc8

Analysis: Meta's fact-checking pullback will have global consequences

The social media company's widespread overhaul of its content moderation polices will have a real-world negative impact, embolden authoritarian regimes, and put its own users at risk

dfrlab.org

#solidarity

Washington Post Guild@postguild.bsky.social · 2y ago

A statement from the Washington Post Guild on today's unconscionable layoffs.