Jacob Helberg is Co-Chair of the China Strategy Initiative Working Group at the Brookings Institution. From 2016 to 2020, Jacob led Google’s global internal product policy efforts to combat disinformation and foreign interference. Jacob is also the author of “The Wires of War: Technology and the Global Struggle for Power” in which he details the existential threat authoritarian regimes pose to the United States and the world.
We discuss the ongoing “Gray War” between Russia, China and the U.S., how the back-end infrastructure of the internet is a crucial frontline in this global conflict, and the best- and worst-case outcomes of the crisis in Ukraine.
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0:00 Intro
1:36 Russia’s information operations in the 2010’s
6:15 Tech policy issues are not just domestic issues
7:39 What is the difference between speech conduct and speech content online?
11:51 How content moderation can stifle emerging theories
14:47 Are we at war with China right now?
22:08 “The Sputnik Moment” of our generation
23:38 Were we late to supply Ukraine with lethal aid?
27:34 The “fog of war” in Ukraine
30:20 Can being feared by bad actors ensure peace?
34:13 Our entrepreneurs are our source of strength
37:03 The back-end of the internet as a frontline of the Gray War
42:31 China’s data advantage
44:35 What is the bull case for the U.S. in the 21st century?
48:30 The blockchain as a potential antidote to deepfakes
51:08 The best case/worst case scenarios in Ukraine
55:47 “One Final Question”
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Book Recommendation!
"The Wires of War: Technology and the Global Struggle for Power"
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