Gazprom is the lubricant of Russian kleptpcracy so this is a move that brings Hungary further into Putin's criminal orbit.

Why governments should place resilience & preparedness at the heart of their national security strategies.

by @SizelandBeth & @VeeraPar
cc Defend Democracy

atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atla…

People of #Kharkiv are defending the future of their city and freedom of Ukraine. Not the Ukrainians have to be grateful for weapons delivered from the West to #Ukraine . We have to be grateful for the courage and the will to stand for freedom and democracy.
Glory to Ukraine.

Hardly a surprise but still wow: an employee of the German far-right AfD MEP and Spitzenkandidat Maximilian Krah was arrested on suspicion of high profile espionage for China. Krah was previously suspected to have received Russian money.

What an “alternative for Germany” indeed

The decision by the House of Representatives 🇺🇸 comes at the most opportune time. Only together can we stop Russia's aggression against Ukraine, freedom and democracy. But Europe must do more too.

Automated Anarchy: The Rising Tide of Bad Bots on the Internet.

Humans will soon be a minority on the internet. My colleague Chris Kremidas-Courtney explores what this means for democracy.

defenddemocracy.eu/automated-anar…

💻 @Mozilla launches new AI Intersections Database, a tool mapping connections between harmful AI impacts & issues like social justice.

Our founder Alice St⭕️llmeyer is featured as a person working to make AI safe for our democracy & security.

Check it out: aidatabase.mozilla.org/ai-intersectio…

Like it or not, 'in the real world, the battle to defend liberal democracy is sometimes a real battle, a military battle, not merely an ideological battle.'

@AnneApplebaum on why dialogue, diplomacy, policy papers, concern & democracy summit are not enough.

To support EUrope's digital transformation, EU leaders call for 'fully exploiting the untapped potential of data in Europe **while ensuring privacy and security**.'

Good luck with that.

Defend Democracy #EUCO #EP2024

consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/eu…

BREAKING: Two German-Russian nationals, backed by Moscow, arrested for plotting sabotage attacks in Germany (!)

The bombing & arson attacks on military & industrial sites “intended to undermine German military support to Ukraine” defence against Russia.

politico.eu/article/german…

So the Heritage Foundation now supports Putin, the Iranian mullahs and the CCP

Can anyone still control AI?

“This isn’t a long-term thing anymore. It’s happening.”

Most importantly: let's not make the same mistake as govts did with social media. Self-regulation doesn't work!

Defend Democracy #PeopleVsBigTech

politico.eu/article/ai-con…

We've got to muster the political will, industrial capacity, economic leverage, and military capability to defeat Russia first in order to isolate/deter Iran and deter China from making a terrible miscalculation.

Organizing for victory atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainea…

✅ Great that European political parties commit to upholding ethical & fair campaigning.

❌ However the agreement lacks independent enforcement & doesn't cover national parties.

👀 Which national parties will sign up & care about fair elections?

ec.europa.eu/commission/pre… #EP2024

Thinking of @VKaraMurza & his loved ones as we're nearing two years of his unjust imprisonment.

One of the most courageous democracy defenders I have the honour to know.

#FreeKaraMurza #SetThemFree

rferl.org/a/russia-kara-…

Huge protests in Georgia against the re-introduced 'foreign agents' law - similar to the law introduced by Putin in the 00s to suppress Russian civil society and media.

Sitting in a forum with Clare Daly and Mick Wallace who went to Aleppo as guests of the Assad regime to celebrate the bombing and sectarian cleansing of the city, who went on Chinese state TV to deny atrocities against Uyghurs, is a matter of great dishonour actually.