The monthly Digital Diplomacy links will be replaced by Cyber Influence links. These links will report on the growing collection of international actors (from foreign and defence ministries, intelligence agencies, civil society, media groups and hackers) using and manipulating cyberspace to fulfil international ambitions and shape global developments.
- The governments of Israel, Canada, the US, Brazil and Japan have seen the most success on Weibo. So why is Israel’s embassy in Beijing so popular in Chinese cyberspace?
- With France’s election fast approaching, trollbots are still ironing out their French translations.
- The Iranian Government partially unblocked Twitter in November 2016. Now media, civil society groups and businesses are joining long-time user Foreign Minister Javad Zarif in embracing the network.
- How a group of open-source intelligence (OSINT) experts dated a mysterious missile launcher and got caught inside the trenches of Egypt’s information war.
- Russia continues to heavily invest in its cyber influence capabilities: Russia’s Defence Minister has announced a new information warfare branch, the Defence Ministry has launched an Arabic version of its website, and the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has created an online platform to debunk ‘western media fakes’.
- Digital democracy tools are being built by governments around the world in an attempt to engage citizens in more meaningful and creative ways – some interesting lessons from tools created in Brazil, Spain and Iceland.
- American Professor Joseph Nye on why President Trump’s tweets are harming US soft power.
- #LastNightInSweden took over the internet last week. Sweden’s embassy in Washington wasn’t shy about getting on the front foot and neither was Max, a Swedish citizen who just happened to be the week’s administrator of the rotating @Sweden account.
- The Atlantic on how slow-moving democracies are losing the cyberwar.
- Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has recently been accused of taking on a Trump-esque tone on Twitter, has been in Australia. The Prime Minister, his staff and the Israeli embassy have been all over social media getting their messages out. But the gender inequality exhibited in high-level Australia-Israel meetings was a jarring strategic misstep from both governments.
- How outgoing United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Helen Clark embraced the digital age and dragged the UNDP into the 21st century.
- On Valentine’s Day, Russians could send romantic voicemails from President Putin to their loved ones at home and a select few overseas countries (listen here).
- In a world first, Denmark will soon nominate a Digital Ambassador, who will focus on fostering better relationships with American tech firms. Does Australia need to follow?
- South Korea’s Foreign Ministry has turned to YouTube to argue its case for the term ‘East Sea’, and Japan is unimpressed (h/t @JanMDiplo).