In a meeting with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS and the nation’s leading election security officials, Facebook officials discussed the company’s actions to remove inauthentic behavior by malicious actors who seek to undermine democratic institutions.
On the call — attended by representatives from the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) and the National Association of State Election Directors (NASED — DHS officials and Facebook’s security team provided elections officials a broader understanding of the threat environment as they develop plans to bolster the resilience of election systems.
“Strengthening collaboration between social media companies and federal, state, and local governments is critical to preventing foreign interference in our democratic processes, including elections. Today’s briefing is an excellent example of this growing partnership across industry and government,” Christopher Krebs, undersecretary for the National Protection and Programs Directorate at DHS, said. “While recent operations identified by Facebook were not directly targeting elections or political campaigns, it is important for election officials to have an understanding of the techniques and tactics malign actors use, as well as countermeasures used to defeat those operations. This broader understanding will help elections officials develop response and communications plans to bolster resilience of our nation’s election systems.”
Kevin Martin, vice president of public policy at Facebook, said the company is investing heavily in security to address the threats posed by inauthentic actors.
“Facebook is also working more closely with law enforcement and elections officials as well as other tech companies and research organizations so that we can share information and together address the challenges posed by determined adversaries. The call DHS hosted today with state election officials was a meaningful step, and we look forward to even greater cooperation in the future,” Martin said.
Jim Condos, president of the National Association of Secretaries of State and Vermont Secretary of State, said the call would be helpful in their efforts.
“Learning about Facebook’s response to continued influence operations was extremely valuable for Secretaries of State and other state election officials,” Condo said. “Election cybersecurity is a team sport. As we prepare for the 2018 midterm elections, this increased information sharing and partnership between states, the federal government, and the private sector will be critical to our success defending our elections from foreign threats.”
Keith Ingram, director of elections from Texas and president-elect of the National Association of State Election Directors, said the sharing of information across all levels of government is critical to fighting these threats.