‘It’s a God thing’
CHARLOTTE — Theresa Payton, a longtime parishioner of St. Peter Church, is an author and national media expert on cybersecurity. In her latest book, “Manipulated: Inside the Cyberwar to Hijack Elections and Distort the Truth,” Payton breaks down misinformation campaigns and empowers people to understand how they are being manipulated online.
This is Payton’s third book, and although she wrote it in the aftermath of the contentious 2016 election, the lessons she imparts are even more relevant today.
Her inspiration came from her work through the technology company she founded, Fortalice Solutions.
“We do work on behalf of the U.S. government and our allies, as well as private-sector companies and individuals. In the 2015-’16 timeframe, I was observing more companies and individuals experiencing different digital events that were impacting their brand and their psyche, how they consumed facts versus fiction and how they consumed information,” she explains.
“Across the board, I saw misinformation and manipulation campaigns amping up – not even just about politics. I was seeing unscrupulous business competitors saying something terrible about a company or an industry, trying to put them out of business. I was tracking those misinformation campaigns, advising individuals and businesses… And in the 2016 elections and the months that followed, we learned about the misinformation campaigns conducted by Russia.”
But “Manipulated” is not just a story about election interference, she says. “It’s more of a global book centered around all social issues – everything from fracking versus no fracking, vaccinations versus no vaccinations – it’s all of the social issues in which people normally have different feelings on a spectrum, then find some common ground and push ahead.”
Payton has a long and illustrious career in cybersecurity – including serving as chief information officer for President George W. Bush, the first woman in this key national security role.
Her career is more of a calling and she leans heavily on her Catholic faith, she says. “I truly believe it’s a God thing, that I have been led to do this kind of work.”
As she was leaving her position at the White House, she asked God where He was calling her to focus her skills. “I really got this strong message that it was fighting cybercrime – taking my faith and my training over the years at work to help people understand the dangers of the digital age.”
Now during the pandemic, when people are physically distant but virtually connected, Payton is focused even more intensely on protecting and educating people.
“Unfortunately, while we are looking for a deeper attachment to each other and it is necessarily through digital means, it can take us off our path,” she says. “Focusing on protecting people as they live and work in the digital realm is where I feel uniquely called and led to help people.”
Manipulators of information have a limitless supply of opportunities but similar motivations, she points out – including controlling people and conversations, inciting people to argue with each other instead of seeking common ground, and making money off people using “click-bait” headlines.
“The other reason why I wrote the book is that government, big tech and social media companies can’t move fast enough to protect us,” Payton explains. “Superman is not coming to save us.”
Payton has fictional vignettes in the book to illustrate what can happen if we don’t take personal responsibility for our online behavior. She also shares telltale signs to help people understand how they are being manipulated, how to fact check information, and how to have a conversation with others and point them to reliable resources.
“We have to educate the whole community,” she says.
Her work is monumental and never-ending, so Payton makes sure to pray every morning. “I say to God, ‘This your mission, let me be Your hands and feet today.’ And I ask Him, ‘Where can I shine Your light today in what can be this dark world?”
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter
Learn more
“Manipulated: Inside the Cyberwar to Hijack Elections and Distort the Truth” by Theresa Payton is available online at www.amazon.com and www.walmart.com.
Follow Payton on Twitter @trackerpayton or check out Fortalice Solutions on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.