Russia

Both Russia and China are manipulating our democratic election process to benefit their foreign policies. The director of Columbia University's Tow Center for Digital Journalism found that 470 phony Facebook accounts tied to Russia were active during the 2016 campaign. Six of them were shared at least 340 million times. An Institute for Strategic Dialogue report identified a Chinese influence campaign known as Spamouflage. It uses AI and a network of social media accounts to amplify American discontent and division ahead of the U.S. presidential election.

Unfolding horrific events in Ukraine coupled with brutal repression of dissent in Russia have caused me to insert another declaration that is equally relevant to any study of ethics, policy, and law, given the death and destruction we are witnessing because of the ambitions and grievances of Vladimir Putin.