Kenton Thibaut

A Tactical Framework to Counter and Prevent Transnational Repression w/ @atlanticcouncil.bsky.social by me & @marcuskolga.bsky.social @kentonthibaut.bsky.social nthibaut.bsky.social @nosumacero.bsky.social y.social @lisandranovo.bsky.social

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www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-res...

Creative investment approaches to compete with China in the Global South YouTube video by AtlanticCouncil

China’s state-driven connectivity financing is brittle. We should lean into blended finance + specialized intermediaries-they unlock private capital, manage risk & build sustainable infrastructure on democratic terms. Watch our @atlanticcouncil.bsky.social event 👇

www.youtube.com/live/Mhi0tOa...

TikTok v RedNote? As TikTok's fate is once again at stake in the U.S., @kentonthibaut.bsky.social, Senior China Fellow at the Atlantic Council's Data Forensic Research Lab, explains how rival app RedNote stacks up in terms of personal security.

Japan’s technology paradox: the challenge of Chinese disinformation Japan serves as an important case study to illustrate an unappreciated aspect of fostering information resilience against malign influence

In this @dfrlab.bsky.social piece, Dylan Plung of NBR & I highlight the case of China IO targeting Japan to argue open societies need comprehensive digital strategies integrating domestic modernization, cybersecurity, & FIMI resilience. We provide specific recs for how to do it: shorturl.at/worXz

23andMe Just Filed for Bankruptcy. You Should Delete Your Data Now. 23andMe is up for sale—which means your data is, too.

The popular DNA test kit company 23andMe announced yesterday that it has filed for bankruptcy and is looking for a buyer. And while the company has promised to continue protecting customer data amidst a possible sale, Wirecutter’s tech experts think you should delete your data now.

7. Expand DFC’s technical assistance grantmaking
8. Build up specialized intermediaries to manage connectivity-focused investments
9. Support collection of open telecom data
10. Provide demonstration capital to fuel innovation in this space.

Read all of our recs in detail at the link up top! ☝️

1. ⬆️ the DFC’s investment capacity
2. Eliminate need for DFC to notify Congress for deals over $10m
3. Allow DFC to take returns from equity investments into account
4. Expand countries DFC can work in
5. Restructure DFC around specific regions & sectors
6. ⬆️ patient, concessionary financing

DFC must be reauthorized this year, which provides an ideal opportunity to prepare the agency to finance a historic wave of transactions to connect the unconnected, bringing massive economic, strategic, and national security benefits to the US & its allies. 10 recs to make DFC fit for this purpose:

Existing US efforts are under-resourced & perpetuate a status quo of investing in large telecoms which lack the incentives & capabilities to reach the unconnected. DFC has money, but it lacks playbook, pipeline, partners, expertise & vehicles to finance connectivity where most impactful.

The PRC's approach is inherently state-led and finance-first. The PRC is able to exert substantial influence over what firms build the networks, the technologies they use, & the selection of network operators; they shape the policy environment to suit their strategic interests at every step.

It's also strategic. The PRC knows this - in Africa, it spends more money here than all African nations, G7, and multilat agencies COMBINED. In a conflict scenario, the PRC could leverage these structures to gain valuable intel, or shut down communications, greatly impacting US ability to maneuver.

Connecting the unconnected can bring
-Up to 2 trillion dollars in global internet infrastructure contracts;
-Billions in returns from financing those construction efforts;
-Billions in annual revenue from providing internet services; &
-A vast new customer base for US tech & online businesses.

Connecting the other half of humanity is the deal of the century China is investing billions in global internet infrastructure through its Digital Silk Road Initiative, advancing its interests over the US.

Development can be profitable AND strategic. We argue that investing in connectivity offers MASSIVE financial opportunities for the US, while countering China's growing digital footprint. We outline specific recs to make the Development Finance Corporation fit for this purpose: shorturl.at/IKxV3

Trump Signs Order Seeking to Reduce More Federal Agencies President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order aimed at reducing the scope of eight federal agencies as part of his campaign to downsize the US government.

President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order aimed at reducing the scope of eight federal agencies as part of his campaign to downsize the US government.

5 former Secretaries of Defense call on Congress to exercise oversight responsibility on Trump-Hegseth firing of senior military leaders:

The "dismissals raise troubling questions about the administration’s desire to politicize the military and to remove legal constraints on the President’s power."

What the TikTok ban and Xiaohongshu's brief popularity reveal about US-China relations and their tech sectors Influx of US users to RedNote amid TikTok ban limbo presents propaganda opportunities and censorship challenges for China

Americans flocked to Xiaohongshu (RedNote) in January due to the TikTok ban. But what's the difference between Xiaohongshu, TikTok, & Douyin? What narratives proliferate on it? What are tradeoffs between propaganda wins & information control for the CCP?

Ryan DeVries & I explain: shorturl.at/UjRJE

Delegation of Apportionment Authority I hereby delegate to the Program Associate Directors the authorities delegated by the President to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget for apportioning funds pursuant to 31 U.S.C. 1513(b). This delegation supersedes any previous delegation of such authority and will remain in place until revised or revoked. The Program Associate Directors may re-delegate this authority as necessary in writing. This delegation does not limit the authority of the Director to exercise the delegated authority. Russell T. Vought, Director, Office of Management and Budget.

Externally, the Director must ensure that OMB has sufficient visibility into the deep caverns of agency decision-making. One indispensable statutory tool to that end is to ensure that policy officials- the Program Associate Directors (PADs) managing the vast Resource Management Offices (RMOs)-personally sign what are known as the apportionments. In 1870, Congress passed the Anti-Deficiency Act® to prevent the common agency practice of spending down all appropriated funding, creating artificial funding shortfalls that Congress would have to fill. The law mandated that all funding be allotted or "apportioned" in installments. This process, whereby agencies come to OMB for allotments of appropriated funding, is essential to the effective financial stewardship of taxpayer dollars. OMB can then direct on behalf of a President the amount, duration, and purpose of any apportioned funding to ensure against waste, fraud, and abuse and ensure consistency with the President's agenda and applicable laws. The vast majority of these apportionments were signed by career officials- the Deputy Associate Directors (DADs)-until the Trump Administration placed this responsibility in the hands of the PADs and thereby opened wide vistas of oversight that had escaped the attention of policy officials. The Biden Administration subsequently reversed this decision. No Director should be chosen who is unwilling to restore apportionment decision-making to the PADs' personal review, who is not aggressive in wielding the tool on behalf of the President's agenda, or who is unable to defend the power against attacks from Congress.

OMB director Russ Vought has officially begun carrying out his section of Project 2025.

Technical thread to follow, but it’s really important - this is a major path through which the Trump administration will illegally impound funding, refusing to carry out some of our spending laws.

#DontAbandonUkraine: The Complete Thread
bsky.app/profile/benj...

Struggle Over Americans’ Personal Data Plays Out Across the Government (Gift Article) Employees from Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency are gaining access to vast amounts of information held by federal agencies, even as lawsuits try to stop them.

In the world of privacy coverage, there has always been a central question of who is a greater threat to it: the government or corporate America.

Now with DOGE, the two are merged into one: www.nytimes.com/2025/02/19/u...

Trump Has a Rare and Short Window to Solve the Iran Problem — Here’s How - War on the Rocks Donald Trump is likely the last president that will get a chance to stop Iran from building a nuclear arsenal. Will he succeed? Tehran has been on the

For my 1st piece since leaving government, I partnered w/ @richardmnephew.bsky.social on a piece for @warontherocks.bsky.social. We take stock of where we are on Iran, and where we should go, including steps to prevent a nuke & reconstitution of the proxy network.

warontherocks.com/2025/02/trum...

I missed this yesterday, but new Attorney General Pam Bondi used her first day on the job to disband the FBI's Foreign Influence Task Force, which has been a key part of government efforts to stop adversaries from meddling in U.S. democracy: https://bit.ly/4jK0RC5

Okay, you're ready to step into the fray. This week is focused on two things: 1) getting federal level reps to push back on Elon Musk's hostile takeover of our federal bureaucracy and federal payments system (bonus points for also saying stand up to these stupid and destructive tariffs) and

It was great to work with @bellingcat.com on this piece. We discussed how Chinese companies obfuscate shady goings-on via networks of LLCs registered abroad. I also discussed data gathering practices of some companies, which are used to build datasets of valuable targets for Chinese intel agencies.

What DeepSeek’s breakthrough says (and doesn’t say) about the ‘AI race’ with China DeepSeek’s achievement has not exactly undermined the United States’ export control strategy, but it does bring up important questions about the broader US strategy on AI.

This week, Chinese AI startup DeepSeek’s R1 rattled the US after it was found to match OpenAI’s o1 model across a number of core tasks.

DFRLab’s @kentonthibaut.bsky.social examines what DeepSeek’s breakthrough says and doesn’t say about the ‘AI race’ with China:

In this piece for @lawfare.bsky.social, I argue that focusing tech policy solely on Chinese security risks overlooks systemic flaws in the U.S. tech ecosystem that could end up undermining national security in the long run. Many thanks to the colleagues who provided great feedback for the piece!

National Security Memorandum (NSM) on Artificial Intelligence: Democracy + Tech Initiative Markup On October 24, 2024, the Biden Administration released its National Security Memorandum (NSM) on Artificial Intelligence. Read along with AC Tech Programs staff, fellows, and industry experts for comm...

As we wait to see the Trump admin's plans re: AI & national security, we asked industry experts what nat sec principles & policy choices in Biden's AI NSM should be carried forward, what should change, & where there is natural continuity between Trump & Biden's approaches👇
dfrlab.org/2025/01/17/a...

As I say in this Foreign Policy piece, a big problem with the TikTok conversation is it frames the risk to Americans’ data security as a problem that can be solved by a ban. But we still end up leaving a larger & arguably more consequential swath of US data unprotected & available for purchase.

TikTok: Hate the Game, Not the Player How strategic and regulatory confusion around TikTok prevent an effective national security response

The TikTok "ban" is a great TP for the CCP to undermine U.S. leadership on the open internet, especially as Xiaohongshu trends to #1 in the app store, and its CEO welcomes American "TikTok refugees." 🤦‍♀️ CCP State Media is positively GLEEFUL. We need a better approach. dfrlab.org/2024/02/14/t...