Ryan Atkinson is Program Editor for Cyber Security and Information Warfare at the NATO Association of Canada. Ryan completed a Master of Arts in Political Science from the University of Toronto, where his Major Research Project focused on Russia’s utilization of information and cyber strategies during military operations in the war in Ukraine. He worked as a Research Assistant for a professor at the University of Toronto focusing on the local nature of Canadian electoral politics. He graduated with an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Philosophy from the University of Toronto. Ryan conducted research for Political Science faculty that analyzed recruitment methods used by Canadian political parties. Ryan’s research interests include: Cyber Threat Intelligence, Information Security, Financial Vulnerability Management, Disinformation, Information Warfare, and NATO’s Role in Global Affairs.
Centre For Disinformation Studies

Canada, NATO, and the Global Threat of Disinformation: An Interview with Brigadier-General Jay Janzen

Ryan Atkinson, Research Analyst at the NATO Association of Canada, recently sat down with Brigadier-General Jay Janzen to discuss the global threat of disinformation. The evermore pertinent problem of disinformation necessitates global action to prevent the further manipulation of information to polarize political discourse as has been witnessed in recent years. The Canadian Federal Election this October 2019 requires civil society and the public and private sectors to be prepared to face and prevent the influence of disinformation on the democratic electoral process.

Cyber Security and Emerging Threats Ryan Atkinson

Spying for Gadhafi: The Foreign Export of Surveillance Capabilities to Libya

In this article, Analyst and Editor Ryan Atkinson outlines the pervasive surveillance technologies used by the Gadhafi regime to spy on Libya’s population. Previously secret archives discovered after the fall of Tripoli in 2011 reveal the extent of the export of such technologies to the regime by foreign corporations.

Centre For Disinformation Studies Cyber Security and Emerging Threats Ryan Atkinson

Truth Makes You Free: A Special Report on Countering the Threat of Disinformation

In this special report, Ryan Atkinson outlines the problem disinformation poses to NATO, including an overview of the major steps member states are taking to counter the evolving threat.

Centre For Disinformation Studies Cyber Security and Emerging Threats Ryan Atkinson

Sorting Fact From Fiction: Trolls, Bots, and the Erosion of Informed Debate

Ryan Atkinson discusses the dangerous implications of future political influence operations, arguing that research must work to understand how current operations will incorporate advancing technologies.