Chelsea Manning talks misinformation, X and Telegram at TechBBQ

Spreading online misinformation is now easier than ever and poses the biggest threat to democracy around the world, American activist and whistleblower Chelsea Manning claims.

Speaking on stage at TechBBQ in Copenhagen just a day after the first electoral debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and President Donald Trump, the former US Army intelligence analyst said the “normalisation of disinformation” is “ensuring participants in democracy become so jaded, confused and exhausted, they lose confidence in their institutions.”

Manning, who in 2013 was convicted of leaking classified military documents to Wikileaks, added that campaigns to mislead voters have been made easier because of the internet.

“I’m generally a technology optimist, but there is a concern for the potential for misuse,” she said. “The biggest issue we’ll face in the next 15 years is how we verify information.”

While AI-generated images and text are both a problem, the root issue lies in how information is verified and how easily users trust information.

“As these technologies improve, even sophisticated users may struggle to distinguish between AI-generated content and reality,” she said.

However, the activist reiterated her view that we should not blame the technology, calling this a “short-sighted view.”

“The same arguments could be made about photo doctoring, and then Photoshop.”

With her speech coming just hours after the first face-to-face confrontation between Democrat Presidential candidate Harris and her rival Republican nominee Trump, Manning said she is “cautiously optimistic about the state of American democracy”.

“It is shakier than it has ever been, but it is heading in a direction that leads me to believe this uncertain period may be coming to an end. But that could change,” she added.

Encryption and privacy

Manning delivered her keynote to a packed hall of tech entrepreneurs and experts in the Danish capital’s Lokomotivvaerkstedet venue, confronting the current dividing lines being drawn between regulators in some countries and social media platforms.

In Brazil, a judge last week chose to ban social media platform X after it refused to appoint a local representative in a wider legal battle over the moderation of political content that allegedly incited violence and spread misinformation. X boss CEO Elon Musk has taken to the former Twitter platform to deny any wrongdoing and accuse the judge of breaching Brazil’s constitution.

Plus, the chief executive of Telegram has recently announced it will improve moderation on the platform after he was arrested in France for allegedly allowing criminal activity to run on the platform.

When asked for her opinion on privacy in the wake of these issues, Manning said: “I certainly take issue with Telegram not cracking down on very problematic information on its platform.”

However, she said that she is not sure where the line can be drawn on privacy and transparency in these instances.

“I tend to believe that an individual has a right to privacy, but I think large groups of people and the actions they do in an organised manner should be transparent.”

“When it comes to institutions, like Telegram, they still need to be held accountable, and there should be transparency over everything and everybody.”

Cyber secrecy

Manning continued that secrecy is “almost impossible” in 2024 because of “smartphones and the ability to capture information on the ground and share it quickly.”

“It’s very difficult to hide information,” she said. “I was shocked that in 2022, I had more information as a civilian about what was happening on the ground in Ukraine than I did as an intelligence analyst in 2010.”

She claimed that conflicts and information are very visible if you know how to look for them.

In the same vein, Manning said that cybercriminals are often ahead of cybersecurity professionals “due to a lack of experience on the part of those protecting against these threats.”

“Also, companies have little incentive to fully protect their information.

When a data breach happens, it gets reported, but then the news is quickly buried among other stories.”

As a result, Manning claims companies aren’t held liable: “This lack of accountability is one of the reasons why we see so many data breaches without substantial consequences.”