The University for Active Citizens Programme invites you to the English language lecture of Dr. Rand Waltzmann at the University of Pécs with the title: Fake News and Disinformation.
Dr. Rand Waltzman is a senior information scientist at the RAND Corporation, where he recently ran a major Pentagon research program to understand the propaganda threats posed by social media technology. Waltzman previously served as chief technology officer at Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute and as the program manager for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Strategic Communications in Social Media unit. His areas of expertise include bot detection, influence operations, disinformation, machine learning, and digital communications.
Dr. Waltzman speaks eloquently and presents the audience with many concrete examples highlighting the importance of the disinformation threat and the need for what he calls “cognitive security” encouraging our democratic societies in the West to manage the environment, be proactive, and out-compete those who spread disinformation. In every meeting, the speaker challenges his audience, whether government representatives, journalists, academics, young political leaders, students, EU officials, as well as diplomats, to become more aware of the massive threat posed by disinformation and to think out of the box when it comes to offering solutions. This lecture provides an opportunity for vivid discussions and proves the need for more exchanges on the subject.
Gábor Polyák and Judit Zeller