Tim Harper
@tharper.bsky.social
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đ„ 199
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Elections and Democracy Lead
@cendemtech.bsky.social
| Fmr Elections policy at Meta
pinned post!
#CISA
is still refusing to come clean on the results of its election security review. As I say in this
@newyorker.com
piece, keeping election officials in the dark only helps bad actors. But new information is emerging and a picture is taking shape. Letâs talk about it: đ§”đ
bsky.app/profile/newy...
add a skeleton here at some point
10 months ago
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Tim Harper
Votebeat
11 days ago
Some registered voters Texas flagged as âpotential noncitizensâ had provided proof of citizenship
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U.S. citizens again caught in Texas voter roll investigation
Some registered voters Texas flagged as âpotential noncitizensâ had provided proof of citizenship
https://bit.ly/4ank4qV
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Tim Harper
Bruno J. Navarro
about 1 month ago
Small changes to the tone of posts fed to users of X can increase feelings of political polarisation as much in a week as would have historically taken at least three years, research has found.
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Small changes to âfor youâ feed on X can rapidly increase political polarisation
Study finds that a week of political content can bring about a shift in views that previously would have taken three years
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/nov/27/partisan-x-posts-increase-political-polarisation-among-users-social-media-research
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Tim Harper
Isabel Linzer
about 2 months ago
New report alertđšđš Political influencers arenât quite activists, media, or advertisers. So what are they? How do social media policies and government regulations apply? đ§” on this transformative trend in democracy and politics:
cdt.org/insights/arc...
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Architects of Online Influence: How Creators, Platforms, and Policymakers Shape Political Speech
[ PDF version ] A social media creator gave gifts worth tens of thousands of dollars to Donald Trump during a livestream ahead of the 2024 presidential election. A progressive influencer ranted in a v...
https://cdt.org/insights/architects-of-online-influence-how-creators-platforms-and-policymakers-shape-political-speech/
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Tim Harper
Michelle M. Shafer
about 2 months ago
I'm attending the
@ncslorg.bsky.social
Town Hall: 2025 Post-Election Recap and Insights. Join me on November 7.
www.linkedin.com/events/ncslt...
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Bomb threats at polling places in New Jersey today follow a troubling pattern. Election officials are now seeing coordinated threats not just in federal election years, but in off-year local elections too. This is becoming a consistent tactic to disrupt voting and intimidate election workers.
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about 2 months ago
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Tim Harper
Robert Reich
about 2 months ago
On the ballot today: -NYC: Mayor -Minneapolis: Mayor -VA: Governor, Lt. Governor, AG, and state House -NJ: Governor -PA: State Supreme Court -GA: Public Service Commission -TX: TX-18 U.S. House -CA: Prop 50 This is a reminder of how crucial it is to vote up AND down the ballot.
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LIVE THRED: The Senate is holding Sean Plankeyâs nomination hearing to lead CISA right now.Lawmakers must demand answers on why CISA is scaling back even as cyber and physical threats to elections surge. My
@cdt.org
blog on the key questions for Plankey's hearing:
cdt.org/insights/cis...
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5 months ago
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Tim Harper
Isabel Linzer
6 months ago
In this testimony on a CT deepfakes law,
@beccabranum.bsky.social
reminds us that some of the efforts to limit AI election risks introduce new threats to democracy, like limiting political speech and engagement
cdt.org/insights/cdt...
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CDT Submits Testimony on Connecticut Bill Creating Criminal Penalties for Election Deepfakes
Today, CDT submitted testimony to the Connecticut Joint Committee on Government Administration and Elections, urging modifications to H.B.6846 to protect usersâ free expression rights. H.B.6846 would ...
https://cdt.org/insights/cdt-submits-testimony-on-connecticut-bill-creating-criminal-penalties-for-election-deepfakes/
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Tim Harper
Isabel Linzer
6 months ago
The AI Elections Accord ended earlier this year.
@alexreevegivens.bsky.social
outlined in
@justsecurity.org
how companies should build a long-term approach to AI & elections
www.justsecurity.org/107809/tech-...
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The Munich Security Conference Provides an Opportunity to Improve on the AI Elections Accord
Ahead of the Munich Security Conference, one crucial issue is at risk of falling by the wayside: protecting democracy from abuses of AI.
https://www.justsecurity.org/107809/tech-companies-election-threats-regulation/
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Tim Harper
Isabel Linzer
6 months ago
Blog from
@tharper.bsky.social
discussing cuts to CISA and its serious implications for election security:
cdt.org/insights/wit...
+ a follow up from earlier this month:
cdt.org/insights/cis...
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With Outcome of CISA Election Security Review Looming, Agency Must Protect Critical Infrastructure
On Friday, February 14th, acting Executive Director of the Cyber and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Bridget Bean issued a memo to agency staff announcing that all election security work would b...
https://cdt.org/insights/with-outcome-of-cisa-election-security-review-looming-agency-must-protect-critical-infrastructure/
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Tim Harper
Isabel Linzer
6 months ago
Read our
@cdt.org
research about the use of AI in 2024's elections globally. The third case study uses interviews with 15 experts researching AI & elections to evaluate the impact of AI on elections so far, and how that should inform future work
cdt.org/insights/ada...
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Adaptation and Innovation: The Civic Space Response to AI-Infused Elections
With case studies also by:Â Laura Zommer and Kian Vesteinsson Introduction AI avatars delivered independent news about Venezuelaâs contested election, allowing journalists to protect their identity and...
https://cdt.org/insights/adaptation-and-innovation-the-civic-space-response-to-ai-infused-elections/
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Tim Harper
Isabel Linzer
6 months ago
Really important to keep our eye on the ball with AI & elections, even between cycles and especially as CISA is gutted.
@stuartathompson.bsky.social
+
@stevenleemyers.bsky.social
do that here. Recent related research from my
@cdt.org
colleagues belowđ§”
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/26/t...
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A.I. Is Starting to Wear Down Democracy
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/26/technology/ai-elections-democracy.html
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A great Friday read by my
@cdt.org
colleague
@isabelalinzer.bsky.social
laying out how global civil society groups leveraged AI to combat AI threats in 2024
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7 months ago
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Tim Harper
Center for Democracy & Technology
7 months ago
CDTâs @isabelalinzer.bsky.social explores the murky legal and policy landscape surrounding political influencersâfrom campaign finance and FTC rules to platform enforcement gaps. With no clear definitions, transparency and accountability can suffer.
cdt.org/insights/thi...
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This is Not An #Ad: Political Influencers, Elections, and Information Integrity on Social Media
The rise of political influencers is among the latest ways that digital technology has changed how campaigns interact with voters and how voters engage with politics. CDTâs research in this area is designed to illuminate how the application of public and company policy to political influencers may affect the resilience of our democracy. To do [âŠ]
https://cdt.org/insights/this-is-not-an-ad-political-influencers-elections-and-information-integrity-on-social-media/
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Tim Harper
David Becker
7 months ago
This is an excellent, well-researched and sourced piece about the real-world consequences of eradicating DHS' election security expertise, from
@sashaingber.bsky.social
. Vendors and others no longer trust the administration not to misuse sensitive info.
sashaingber.substack.com/p/election-c...
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Election companies stop sharing cyber data with DHS
America's top vendors fear that data they submit on cyberattacks and vulnerabilities may be used against them. CISA has not provided them assurances.
https://sashaingber.substack.com/p/election-companies-stop-sharing-cyber
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Tim Harper
Brennan Center
8 months ago
Since Citizens United, dark money groups have spent at least $4.3 billion on federal elections. Our latest analysis from
@annalecta.bsky.social
tracks dark money spending in the 2024 election cycle.
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Dark Money Hit a Record High of $1.9 Billion in 2024 Federal Races
Spending by groups that do not disclose their donors has increased and become harder to trace.
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/dark-money-hit-record-high-19-billion-2024-federal-races
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Tim Harper
Rick Hasen
8 months ago
âJefferson Griffin concedes North Carolina Supreme Court raceâ
electionlawblog.org?p=149808
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"Jefferson Griffin concedes North Carolina Supreme Court race" #ELB
AP: The Republican challenger for a North Carolina Supreme Court seat has conceded last Novemberâs election to the Democratic incumbent. Jefferson Griffin said in a statement to The Associated Press ...
https://electionlawblog.org/?p=149808
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Tim Harper
Eric Geller
8 months ago
As CISA's Stakeholder Engagement Division braces for big cuts, an official in SED says more than 60 employees are resigning, including >50% of those who work on international partnerships (one of the offices Trump's budget would cut).
www.linkedin.com/posts/gregor...
(h/t
@samsabin.bsky.social
)
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Tim Harper
Rick Hasen
8 months ago
Breaking and Analysis: Federal Courtâin a Ruling Likely to Be Upheld on Appealâ Holds That Judge Griffinâs Attempt to Overturn the Results of the North Carolina Supreme Court Election Violates the Constitutional Rights of Voters and Orders Certification for Justice Riggs
electionlawblog.org?p=149785
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Breaking and Analysis: Federal District Court--in a Ruling Likely to Be Upheld on Appeal-- Holds That Judge Griffin's Attempt to Overturn the Results of the North Carolina Supreme Court Election Viola...
You can read the detailed analysis at this link. Here is the core holding: The court concludes that the retroactive invalidation of absentee ballots cast by overseas military and civilian voters viola...
https://electionlawblog.org/?p=149785
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Tim Harper
Jessica Huseman
8 months ago
www.votebeat.org/2025/04/24/t...
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Trumpâs executive order on elections is partly blocked
The president had asserted authority to regulate voting that the Constitution grants explicitly to Congress and the states. Said the court: âExecutive regulatory authority over federal elections does ...
https://www.votebeat.org/2025/04/24/trump-executive-order-elections-preliminary-injunction/
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Tim Harper
Politico
8 months ago
Exclusive: Trump plans to sign a memorandum today targeting a major Democratic fundraising platform with help from AG Pam Bondi.
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Trump to target ActBlue in presidential memorandum
The action is expected to come Thursday.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/24/trump-to-target-actblue-in-presidential-memorandum-00307251
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Tim Harper
Hansi Lo Wang (he/him)
9 months ago
My latest
@npr.org
story: A brain drain at the Census Bureau is roiling the federal agency in charge of producing
#2030Census
results, job numbers and other key statistics as the Trump administration continues to slash the federal government
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Brain drain at Census Bureau has employees warning about the country's statistics
Staff departures and survey cuts are roiling the federal agency in charge of producing census results, job numbers and other key statistics as Trump officials continue to slash the U.S. government.
https://www.npr.org/2025/04/17/nx-s1-5349435/us-census-bureau-data-decennial
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Tim Harper
Eric Geller
9 months ago
Scoop: Boyden Rohner, Assistant Director of CISA's Integrated Operations Division, is taking the Trump administration's early-retirement offer and leaving. Rohner told IOD staff during a Monday afternoon town-hall meeting that featured a lot of employee questions & anxiety about looming CISA cuts.
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Tim Harper
Eileen Guo
9 months ago
SCOOP: sources tell me that the State Dept plans to eliminate its only office to counter foreign disinformation, as soon as today, delivering a win to foreign governments like Russia, Iran, and Chinaâand the office's mostly conservative critics.
www.technologyreview.com/2025/04/16/1...
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US office that counters foreign disinformation is being eliminated, say officials
Conservative critics have long accused the department of helping to censor the American right.
https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/04/16/1115256/us-office-that-counters-foreign-disinformation-is-being-eliminated-say-officials/
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Tim Harper
Megan Gray
9 months ago
Next week, are you in town for the Meta antitrust trial, the Google Search Remedy trial, or the IAPP privacy conference? Lucky you, all the DC tech policy peeps will be gathered Tues eve at CDT Spring Fling - join us!
cdt.org/event/2025-s...
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2025 Spring Fling
CDT is pleased to announce our 2025 Spring Fling, a celebration during IAPPâs Global Privacy Summit. Join us on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, 8:00â10:30 PM at Dirty Habit in Washington, D.C.âyou wonât want...
https://cdt.org/event/2025-spring-fling/
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Tim Harper
Eric Geller
9 months ago
The cyber team inside DHS's Office of Strategy, Policy, and Plans will be cut from 20-25 to 8 by June as part of DHS HQ's massive downsizing, per a person familiar with the matter.
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Tim Harper
Rick Hasen
9 months ago
Breaking: North Carolina Appeals Court, Over Strong Dissent, Sides with Judge Griffin in Election Contest, Gives Some Voters Chance to Cure Failure to Provide Certain Information to Election Officials (That Officials Did Not Demand)
electionlawblog.org?p=149314
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Breaking: North Carolina Appeals Court, Over Strong Dissent, Sides with Judge Griffin in Election Contest, Gives Some Voters Chance to Cure Failure to Provide Certain Information to Election Officials (That Officials Did Not Demand) #ELB
You can find the 2-1 opinion and dissent at this link. Iâm at a meeting so no chance to read this closely right now, but it appears that the majority held that many of the ballots cast by challenged voters ⊠Continue reading Breaking: North Carolina Appeals Court, Over Strong Dissent, Sides with Judge Griffin in Election Contest, Gives Some Voters Chance to Cure Failure to Provide Certain Information to Election Officials (That Officials Did Not Demand) â
https://electionlawblog.org/?p=149314
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Tim Harper
Taniel
9 months ago
Bombshell in North Carolina: the state's GOP-dominated Court of Appeals just sided with the GOP candidate in last year's supreme court race. Their decision would toss roughly 60,000 ballots (!) that have been counted, & likely hand the election to GOP instead of incumbent Dem Justice who won it.
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Tim Harper
Kyle Griffin
9 months ago
Breaking WaPo: Members of Trump's National Security Council, including national security adviser Michael Waltz, have conducted government business over personal Gmail accounts, according to documents reviewed by WaPo and interviews with three U.S. officials.
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
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Waltz and staff used Gmail for government communications, officials say
Trumpâs national security adviser is trying to manage his way out of a crisis. But new revelations about his teamâs operational security are piling up in the inbox.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/04/01/waltz-national-security-council-signal-gmail/
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Tim Harper
Taniel
9 months ago
Heading into Election Day, 674K people already voted in Wisconsin. That's more than a third of last supreme court race. So: 1. Dane & Milwaukee counties make up 31.8% of this electorate. That compares to 28.5% at the equivalent point in November 2024, & 33.4% at equivalent point in April 2023.
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The direct application of political censorship claims to foreign-but-politically-aligned messages has become the preferred escalation to justify eliminating work to counter foreign influence. A great thread by
@noupside.bsky.social
tracking this HFAC hearing
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9 months ago
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Tim Harper
Jen Fifield
9 months ago
WHO in AZ will need to prove their citizenship before voting again? It's in the story but... - First got your AZ driver's license before 1996 - AND registered to vote in AZ at some point after 2004, including after any moves across county lines within the state. Pass it on.
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Tim Harper
Center for Democracy & Technology
9 months ago
CASE STUDIES: AI amplified information integrity challenges during elections in 2024. CDTâs new report examines how civic actors in Mexico, Taiwan, and beyond adaptedâtracking deepfakes, using AI for fact-checking, and countering disinformation.
cdt.org/insights/ada...
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Adaptation and Innovation: The Civic Space Response to AI-Infused Elections
With case studies also by: Laura Zommer and Kian Vesteinsson Introduction AI avatars delivered independent news about Venezuelaâs contested election, allowing journalists to protect their identity and avoid politically motivated arrest. Voters in the United Kingdom could cast their ballots for an AI avatar to hold a seat in Parliament. A deepfake video showed United States [âŠ]
https://cdt.org/insights/adaptation-and-innovation-the-civic-space-response-to-ai-infused-elections/
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Last week, the White House issued an executive order which makes it the policy of the United States to âstreamlineâ its preparedness for cyberattacks on critical infrastructure like elections while devolving responsibility to "State, local, and even individual levels." Here we go. đ§”đ
9 months ago
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Tim Harper
Center for Democracy & Technology
9 months ago
CDTâs @tharper.bsky.social: âThe EI-ISAC and the MS-ISAC provide real-time threat-sharing and response coordination that election offices canât replicate by themselves. Losing that coordination leaves towns and counties to fight nation-state hackers on their own.â
www.theregister.com/...
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CISA worker says 100-strong red team axed after DOGE action
Updated: Election infosec advisory center also shuttered
https://www.theregister.com/2025/03/12/cisa_staff_layoffs/
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Tim Harper
Eric Geller
10 months ago
Scoop: CISA is reinstating fired probationary employees tomorrow following a judge's ruling in a federal lawsuit (
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
), according to an email to affected employees that I obtained. Starting tomorrow, those employees will be placed on administrative leave.
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Tim Harper
Renee DiResta
10 months ago
Whatâs happening at CISA & w/the destruction of the ISACs is the next phase of what Quinta & I described here in the context of dismantling capacity for tackling foreign interference: âstate capacity is now determined in response to conspiracy theories on Xâ
www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-...
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Isabel Linzer
10 months ago
New research alert!đš Pleased to share a new
@cendemtech.bsky.social
report on information resilience in the context of AI and elections. For me it answers the question of whether AI matters for elections with a clear âyesâ - though not always in the way youâd expectđ§”
cdt.org/insights/ada...
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Adaptation and Innovation: The Civic Space Response to AI-Infused Elections
With case studies also by:Â Laura Zommer and Kian Vesteinsson Introduction AI avatars delivered independent news about Venezuelaâs contested election, allowing journalists to protect their identity and...
https://cdt.org/insights/adaptation-and-innovation-the-civic-space-response-to-ai-infused-elections/
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Tim Harper
Eric Geller
10 months ago
NEW: CISA employees are scared, angry, and worried about how Trump's cuts and policies are weakening their agency. Partnerships are strained, leadership is bowing to Trump, and layoffs & other departures have left worrisome gaps. My
@wired.com
story:
www.wired.com/story/inside...
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#CISA
is still refusing to come clean on the results of its election security review. As I say in this
@newyorker.com
piece, keeping election officials in the dark only helps bad actors. But new information is emerging and a picture is taking shape. Letâs talk about it: đ§”đ
bsky.app/profile/newy...
add a skeleton here at some point
10 months ago
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As I say in this
@cyberscoop.bsky.social
piece, the lack of transparency from CISA means election offices donât know what federal support they can count on, leaving them exposed to cyberattacks & threats of violence. You canât defend democracy in the darkâCISA needs to come clean about its decision.
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10 months ago
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đšNEWđš: CISAâs election security review ends tomorrow. If the Agency is serious about its core mission, it must continue its core cybersecurity, physical security & foreign threat intel sharing work to protect critical elections infrastructure.đ§”
cdt.org/insights/wit...
#CISA
@cendemtech.bsky.social
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With Outcome of CISA Election Security Review Looming, Agency Must Protect Critical Infrastructure
On Friday, February 14th, acting Executive Director of the Cyber and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Bridget Bean issued a memo to agency staff announcing that all election security work would b...
https://cdt.org/insights/with-outcome-of-cisa-election-security-review-looming-agency-must-protect-critical-infrastructure/
10 months ago
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Tim Harper
Jen Fifield
10 months ago
Just in: Maricopa County supervisors vote unanimously to spend up to $480K on an election audit. Two independent reviews, to be commissioned through RFPs: 80K - election technology 400K - election processes Recorder's Office will participate, along with Elections Department.
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Tim Harper
Greg Otto
10 months ago
SCOOP: Karen Evans now holds one of the most prominent cyber jobs in the federal government, and she has been named the executive assistant director for cybersecurity at CISA
@timstarks.bsky.social
with the story
cyberscoop.com/karen-evans-...
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Karen Evans steps into a leading federal cyber position: executive assistant director for cybersecurity at CISA
The experienced cyber and IT government hand takes on a role leading the cybersecurity half of the agency.
https://cyberscoop.com/karen-evans-steps-into-a-leading-federal-cyber-position-executive-assistant-director-for-cybersecurity-at-cisa/
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This is what bipartisan leadership looks like! The National Association of Secretaries of State on Friday urged DHS Sec. Noem to maintain services that help election officials defend U.S. elections from physical and cyber threats by foreign actors.
www.nass.org/sites/defaul...
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https://www.nass.org/sites/default/files/Election%20Cybersecurity/2.21.25%20NASS%20Board%20Letter%20to%20Sec.%20Noem.pdf
10 months ago
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Tim Harper
Center for Democracy & Technology
11 months ago
CISAâs crucial work defends against foreign malign influence in US elections. Weakening this agency does nothing to protect Americansâ free speech or national security. It will only make easier for foreign governments to disrupt and undermine our
#elections
in the future.
#CISA
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Trump continues federal purge, gutting cyber workers who combat disinformation
Roughly half a dozen employees at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency who previously worked to counter election-related disinformation have been put on administrative leave.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/07/trump-guts-cyber-workers-00203087
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Tim Harper
Rick Hasen
11 months ago
âMeagan Wolfe can stay on as Wisconsinâs top election official, state Supreme Court rulesâ
electionlawblog.org?p=148522
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"Meagan Wolfe can stay on as Wisconsinâs top election official, state Supreme Court rules" #ELB
Votebeat: What happened? The Wisconsin Supreme Court unanimously ruled Friday that the stateâs chief election official, Meagan Wolfe, can stay in her job even though her term has expired, heading off ...
https://electionlawblog.org/?p=148522
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Tim Harper
Trevor Potter
11 months ago
đ§”My statement in response to Trump illegally attempting to fire Federal Election Commission (FEC) Chair Ellen Weintraub: In claiming to fire a commissioner of the Federal Election Commission, the president violates the law, the separation of powers and generations of Supreme Court precedent. 1/
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