This warning is missing

coach for The intelligence service, Vice Admiral Nils Andreas Stensense, warns of foreign attempts to influence the parliamentary elections that will be held this fall. In an interview with Aftenposten, he said that so far no major attempts have been made to influence the political situation. Stines thinks that may change as we get closer to the election. Russia and China have been identified as the two most likely players in an attempt to interfere in the parliamentary elections.

There is no doubt That the Internet facilitated the dissemination of misinformation, the launching of computer attacks and the penetration of communication systems. The methods used can be varied: sharing stolen information, spreading lies, and strengthening divisions between groups. The goal is to influence public opinion.

been detected Number of attempts to influence elections in recent years: US presidential elections (2016), UK Brexit elections (2016), elections in France (2017), elections in the Czech Republic (2018) and US presidential elections (2020) . In the fall of 2020, Parliament was subjected to a computer attack from Russia, and in March another attack was carried out.

we are facing Threat There is every reason to take it seriously. At the same time, it is not important how this is handled. It is possible that Cyber ​​President Stensønes is right that Norway’s relations with NATO and the USA will be the target of advocacy operations. In Aftenposten, he mentioned “discussions about Norwegian base policy, the deployment of US bombers at Sørlandt and US Navy exercises”. The cyber chief says this is an attempt to distance the great allies from Norway.

This approach It is unfortunate. Here, the e-manager blends legitimate and democratic debate with foreign influence operations. Criticizing the government eroding Norwegian al-Qaeda policy through the increased US presence in Norway is not a quick reaction to foreign powers. On the contrary, these views are often associated with the need for a stronger national defense.

Thinner, Stronger, Stronger

During the Cold War There was no real and open discussion on defense and security policy issues. There were only fronts and constant attempts to stigmatize critical positions of NATO. If we want to move away from hostile attempts to influence, the Norwegian sayings must have complete freedom. It is the prerequisite for confidence that is the best protection against this effect. We expect Online Director Nils Andreas Stenson to agree with this.