Issues

Cybersecurity Internet Technology & Innovation

Regions

China India Russia
About Related Content

Recommended Reading

The 5×5—The evolution of the internet and geopolitics

New Atlanticist Feb 25, 2020

The 5×5—The evolution of the internet and geopolitics

By Simon Handler

The internet has been a pivotal force behind the growth of the global digital economy and altered the relationship among states, their citizens, and the private sector. These changes have disrupted the geopolitical balance of power and ushered in a new generation of globally-powerful multinational companies. However, new dynamics of conflict are threatening the internet as we know it.
Cybersecurity Internet
Sherman in WIRED: Governments Are Clamping Down On Foreign Tech Investments

In the News Feb 21, 2020

Sherman in WIRED: Governments Are Clamping Down On Foreign Tech Investments

By Atlantic Council

State inspection of foreign investments at home isn’t novel. Probing NGOs and mandating registration of foreign lobbyists are just two decades-old examples. What’s different today is that countries are accelerating and expanding these powers where they already exist, or freshly architecting them altogether. It’s a way for governments to address two things: perceived foreign influence over their domestic technology spheres, and perceived risks of foreign governments using investments and acquisitions to access sensitive data.
Politics & Diplomacy Technology & Innovation
Warring for the soul of the internet: Ten years on

New Atlanticist Jan 27, 2020

Warring for the soul of the internet: Ten years on

By Trey Herr, Justin Sherman

The new reality is one where democracies must play a more assertive role to protect an open, free, fair, and secure internet, utilizing a strategy that recognizes the changes the internet has undergone, the pernicious influence of authoritarian states, and the role companies have in both protecting and fragmenting it. The internet can’t be brought back in time but there is hope, perhaps, that its original core values can be preserved in a new form through determined effort by its users, some companies, and the democratic states where the open web was born.

Cybersecurity Internet

All Content

Issue Brief

Oct 21, 2024

Finding security in digital public infrastructure

By Justin Sherman

As governments worldwide adopt Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), the need for robust cybersecurity and privacy protections has never been greater. This paper delves into the critical risks and opportunities associated with securing DPI systems. With examples from India, Ukraine, and other nations, it explores how governments are managing data privacy, addressing cyber threats, and building trust in digital services. The paper highlights key considerations for policymakers, including the balance between openness and security, the role of encryption, and the importance of resilience in digital systems. As more nations turn to DPI, ensuring the safety and privacy of citizens' data is essential to creating sustainable, trustworthy digital infrastructures.

Cybersecurity India

New Atlanticist

Feb 29, 2024

Experts react: What Biden’s new executive order about Americans’ sensitive data really does

By Atlantic Council experts

US President Joe Biden just issued an executive order restricting the large-scale transfer of personal data to “countries of concern.” Atlantic Council experts share their insights.

Cybersecurity Digital Policy

The 5x5

Dec 13, 2023

The 5×5—2023: The cybersecurity year in review

By Simon Handler

A group of Atlantic Council fellows review the past year in cybersecurity, which organizations and initiatives made positive steps, and areas for improvement going forward. 

Cybersecurity National Security
Load More

Justin Sherman is a nonresident fellow with the Cyber Statecraft Initiative, part of the Atlantic Council Tech Programs, where his work focuses on internet geopolitics, governance, and security as well as Russian and Indian technology policy and strategy. He is also the founder and chief executive officer of Global Cyber Strategies, a Washington-based research and advisory firm, and a senior fellow at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy, where he leads its data brokerage research project and lectures on cybersecurity, privacy, and technology policy.

He is an advisor to the global Christchurch Call to Eliminate Terrorist & Violent Extremist Content Online, serves as the technology advisor to the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project in New York City, and writes a Slate op-ed column on technology and policy.

Prior to his current positions, he spent time at New America, the National Security Agency’s Laboratory for Analytic Sciences, and the Tech, Law, & Security Program at American University’s Washington College of Law, among others. He was a fellow at Duke Law School’s Center on Law & Technology and a fellow at Stanford University’s US-Russia Forum, where he participated in track two dialogues with Russian counterparts on international security issues. He co-founded Ethical Tech at Duke University and previously wrote a WIRED column on technology and geopolitics.

Justin has testified before Congress, spoken widely, and briefed White House officials, members of the European Parliament, and many other policymakers around the world on technology, policy, and geopolitics issues. He has written hundreds of articles and numerous reports, book chapters, journal articles, and privately commissioned assessments and appeared on BBC, CNBC, Deutsche Welle, NPR, Showtime, and many other national and international programs. His work has been featured on HBO’s “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.”

He earned his MA in security studies from Georgetown University and his BS in computer science and his BA in political science from Duke University.