Facebook is shop the movement of former Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney campaign managers to battle hacking and disinformation campaigns designed to interfere with elections .
Facebook ’s chief security officer Alex Stamos announce the fellowship ’s $ 500,000 investment in the movement , calledDefending Digital Democracy , today during akeynoteat the surety conference Black Hat . The undertaking was found last month by a Harvard University group and Stamos is a member of the group ’s consultive committee .
“ Our end is to build an info partake constitution that includes political parties , campaign , state and local election officials , and technical school party , ” Stamos say Gizmodo .
The data sharing unit will be modeled on similar efforts within the tech diligence to share terror intelligence . Facebook and other major technical school companies like Microsoft and Twitter use these kinds of partnerships to partake in information onterrorist threats , revenge porn , and child using . “ If one company detects an attack they can vaccinate others very apace , ” Stamos said .
But Defending Digital Democracy be after to comprise data not just from participating technical school caller — executives from Google and the cybersecurity house CrowdStrike are also on the advisory board — but from election functionary as well .
Getting election officials on board with the project might face a challenge . The Department of Homeland Security has struggle to convince res publica election officials to go for cybersecurity assistance from the Union government . Jeh Johnson , the Homeland Security Secretary under Obama , testifiedearlier this twelvemonth that his decision to designate election systems as critical infrastructure was met with a “ neutral to negatively charged ” reaction from DoS official . He also noted that the Democratic National Committee was resistant when DHS offered assistance with the hacks that plagued the Clinton campaign .
Stamos hop that election officials who are untrusting of collaborating with the Union governing will be more receptive to working with an independent group connect to academia and tech .
“ There is some resistance to anything that is imposed on state and local official by the federal government activity . We are giving them the chance to work together , ” Stamos explained . “ We ’ve had some excellent discussion with province and local election officials . ” Facebook plan to host state and local election functionary at its D.C. post by and by this twelvemonth to discuss the information sharing organization , and plunge the organization in early 2018 .
Facebook ’s deep engagement with Defending Digital Democracy may seem out of character for a social media troupe . But Facebook was an active vacation spot for foreign hackers during the 2016 election cycle , harmonize toa reportthe company put out in April . cyberpunk set up a coordinated disinformation campaign on Facebook , issue cut data and phoney news show and then falsely exaggerate it . That experience gave Facebook first - hand insight into how political hacking campaigns are go — experience it can share with election officials .
Stamos said that the security of Defending Digital Democracy ’s selective information divvy up organisation would be a top priority . “ We ’re function to be exhaust our own dogfood , ” he said , referencing anindustry practice of product examination .
The hacking campaigns that occurred during last year ’s election process jump many in the cybersecurity industry , and fighting back against these campaign is a recurring theme during this hebdomad ’s diligence league , Black Hat and DEF CON .
https://gizmodo.com/the-politics-of-hacking-in-the-age-of-trump-1797188587
“ Cyber deterrence starts with substantial cyber defense — and this task bring together key partners in politics , internal security , and technology to generate innovational ideas to safeguard our key democratic institutions , ” Eric Rosenbach , the former assistant secretary of the Defense Department and the head of Defending Digital Democracy , enounce in astatementannouncing the project .
“ While the security community has been very successful in find and pointing out new domain of vulnerability , we have been less successful in solving these problem . We have cultural issues that hold us back from our potential — a lack of humility and empathy , ” Stamos said . “ The way that we discussed important political issuing that demand security , that want of humility and empathy is making us right smart less in force . ”
As an example , Stamos cited last year ’s battle between Apple and the Federal Bureau of Investigation over disabling encryption on an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooter . Many people in the surety residential area bawl out the political science as stupid , uneducated , and evil , Stamos said , and the disputatious approach did n’t do Apple any favors as it fought the politics ’s order to unlock the iPhone .
“ I believe that people merit to have untroubled computing experiences and secret conversation free of mass surveillance . It ’s of import to do so understand the berth others are coming from and the trouble they ’re make do with . They are balance their equities in a different elbow room , ” Stamos explained .
To corroborate that cultural chemise , Facebook also announced investments in research and education . It will put $ 1 million towards theInternet Defense Prize , an award that funds research aimed at making the internet more secure . ( Since 2014 , Facebook has invested $ 250,000 into the booty . ) Facebook is also partnering with CodePath to declare oneself cybersecurity courses at six colleges that have diverse student torso but do n’t currently offer cybersecurity plan . Graduates from the programs are offered paid internships at Facebook .
“ I ’d like to see our community focussing on defense mechanism and diversity , ” Stamos said .
Correction 1:10 p.m. : Facebook ’s meeting with election official will take place at its Washington D.C. office , not its Menlo Park headquarters .
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