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Trust But Verify: Maintaining Democracy Against Cyber Influence Operations

Allie Mellen

Allie Mellen analyzes nation-state cyber operations and digital influence campaigns targeting democratic elections worldwide, and how countries defend.

Summary

The Weaponization of Cyberspace in Democratic Elections

Nation-state adversaries increasingly deploy multi-pronged cyber operations—including spear-phishing, document leaks, and coordinated social media disinformation.

Analyzing Historical Election Interference Operations

Allie Mellen examines real-world case studies of foreign state-sponsored influence campaigns targeting election infrastructure and public perception.

The Structural Asymmetry of Information Warfare

The author explores the asymmetric advantage attackers possess when amplifying domestic divisions compared to the challenges democratic governments face in defense.

Building Resilient Democratic Defenses

The presentation highlights multi-stakeholder defense strategies—including threat intelligence sharing, election infrastructure hardening, and digital media literacy.

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