Welcome to the AFCEA Classified Cyber Forum

Information Confrontation and the Threat to Democracy

What is this event?
Information is powerful. Conventional uses of data in markets and media, as well as in personal and professional communications to inform, educate and influence are well known. Today, information also is being used to a greater extent than ever to manipulate decision-making, distort understanding and exploit emotions. This deliberate manipulation of perceived reality is not a new phenomenon. Information confrontation creates cognitive dissonance and has long been used by state and non-state actors to achieve economic, military and political objectives. What is new is the ability to target and reach specific audiences—through social media, smart devices, and IoT—with content tailored using data analytics to maximize its impact. Millions of always-connected people offer an unprecedented opportunity—for good or evil—to drive the perception of facts and influence actions.

Weaponized disinformation and other malicious uses of information form the basis of this year’s Classified Cyber Forum. Increases in the level of this activity and the number of actors using old and new tools and techniques complicate the ability to detect such threats in the sheer volume of consumed information. Preventing or countering them is an arduous task. This forum will focus on how this growing danger affects civil society, economic prosperity and national security in areas of policy, technology and operations.

What is unique about this event? 

The answer is in the name – it is a classified event.  As a result, the discussion can go to another, deeper level.

Who is behind the agenda? 
The agenda is being developed by a team of subject matter experts from the AFCEA Intelligence, Cyber, and Homeland Security committees.

• Senator Mark Warner, Vice Chairman, Select Committee on Intelligence 
• Christopher Painter, Commissioner, Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace, and former Coordinator for Cyber Issues, U.S. Department of State 
• MG John Davis, USA (Ret.), Vice President and Federal Chief Security Officer, Palo Alto Networks and former ASD (Acting) for Cyber Policy

• The Information Confrontation Threat
• Cognitive Security
• Civil Society
• Economic Prosperity
• National Security

Check out the agenda and plan on joining us at the AFCEA Classified Cyber Forum on June 7.