The Commonwealth published an article on March 6th, 2020, about their guide that was launched to tackle election cybersecurity threats.
The adaption of technology for the elections process poses risks to the integrity of the election process. The Commonwealth has launched its guide that will help election management bodies identify and manage cybersecurity risks.
Key points:
- E-voting machines, biometric scanners, mobile phones, social media, and e-voting databases all aid the elections process for many countries around the world. The adaption of these technologies comes with the potential for spreading of misinformation and interference with elections data.
- The Commonwealth’s guide includes information about technical systems, laws, and policies, and capabilities across the whole electoral cycle. Election directors can also find recommendations that can be tailored for their context from the guide.
- The guide was based on an in-depth questionnaire sent to all Commonwealth election management bodies that coming from, research missions in Ghana, Pakistan, Trinidad and Tobago, UK, and regional training workshops in Africa, Asia-Pacific, and the Caribbean. It has been written by a group of consultants from information security, internet law, and technology policy and regulation.
- The lead author, Dr. Ian Brown, urged electoral authorities to build up their links with all different government agencies dealing with cybersecurity, data protection, and public procurement so they can respond to issues effectively.
- As technology advances and opens doors for new opportunities, internet-enabled devices are going to inevitably transform the electoral process.
Reference: thecommonwealth.org
Contributed by: Jason Jacobs from Guyana. Jason is a member of the CCST Discord group from the G5 Cyber Security Foundation Ltd. Learn more about CCST (Caribbean Cyber Support Team) by visiting caribbeancst.org. CCST is a collaborative group on the Discord platform for Caribbean people in IT, from beginners to experts.