Michael Chertoff, former Secretary of Homeland Security and Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of The Chertoff Group recently participated in a panel discussion on the “Future of Democracy” at the Global Emerging Technology Summit in Washington, D.C.
Hosted by the Special Competitive Studies Project, The panel included Condoleezza Rice, Director Hoover Institution and former Secretary of State and National Security Advisor; Sir Alex Younger, former Chief MI6; Michael Froman, President of Council on Foreign Relations and former U.S. Trade Representative; and Moderator: Ylber Bajraktari, Senior Policy Advisor, SCSP.
When asked what should be the most important considerations for the government, for technology companies and for the voters in next year’s upcoming elections, Secretary Chertoff highlighted the challenge of the lack of trust among the American population and risks to the social media environment as a source of information.
“Increasingly, people at the political ends of the spectrum view any government effort to correct the record as inherently somehow illegitimate and a violation of the First Amendment…That means the private sector is going to have to play a more responsible role in making sure they police themselves to eliminate clearly false messages, deep fakes, messages that originate out of foreign countries but are masquerading as Americans,” Chertoff said. “In order to make sure that the platforms do it, the public is going to have to make it clear to the advertisers and the sponsors that it’s important to them that the platforms police themselves because money talks and in many cases the platform’s responsible…This is going to require a very, very substantial private effort to make sure we are upholding the integrity and the honesty and trust that people have a right to rely upon.”
The Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP) is a bipartisan, non-profit initiative with a clear mission: to make recommendations to strengthen America’s long-term competitiveness for a future where artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies reshape our national security, economy, and society. We want to ensure that America is positioned and organized to win the techno-economic competition between now and 2030, the critical window for shaping the future. Watch the full Future of Democracy discussion here.
