Wired learns that the Department of Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security has frozen all election security activities and reviews everything it has done to help state and local officials secure elections over the past eight years. is. The move represents the first major example of the country’s cyber defense agency in response to President Donald Trump’s election fraud and false claims of online censorship.
In a memo sent to all CISA employees on Friday and obtained by Wired, CISA’s acting director Bridget Bean ordered a “review and evaluation” of all positions of the agency related to election security. “We will fight false information and “false information.” Security of all elections and [mis-, dis-, and malinformation] Products, activities, services and programs implemented since the federal government specified Election Systems as a Critical Infrastructure for 2017.
“The CISA will suspend all election security activities until this review is completed,” added Bean. Agents are also cutting back on funding for these activities Election Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Centrea group funded by the Department of Homeland Security, which has served as a coordinating body for the electoral community.
In her notes, Bean confirmed that CISA had First reported by Politicolocated employees on February 7th “first identified as associated with election security activities and MDM programs” regarding administrative leave.
“We need to save the agency’s election security efforts to ensure that CISA focuses solely on carrying out cyber and physical security missions,” she told employees of the memo.
Bean is temporarily leading the CISA, but she is officially the executive director of the agency and is his top career position. First Director of CISA Created the role of executive director Provide continuity during a political transition. Previously, Bean was Trump’s appointee. At the Federal Emergency Management Agency During his first term.
In justifying the internal review of CISA, which ends on March 6th, Bean said Trump’s January 20th Presidential Order Regarding “End of federal censorship.” The conservatives argued The CISA censored the speech by coordinating with tech companies to identify online misinformation in 2020 in the final year of Trump’s first term. CISA refused to enforce censorship and the U.S. Supreme Court Dismissed the lawsuit About government work. However, the backlash led to the CISA. I stopped most of the conversation It uses a tech platform on online misinformation and misinformation.
CISA and DHS did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
Since 2017, state and local election officials have relied on CISA expertise and resources, as well as partnerships with other agencies to improve physical and digital security. Through on-site consultations and online guidance, CISA will ensure election managers have a voting infrastructure for hackers, strengthen polling locations for active shooters, and create polling place backup plans to address voting shortages or power outages. I supported it.
Election supervisors have always struggled to overcome serious fundraising challenges, but in recent years their work has become even more stressful as intense voter scrutiny has given way. harassment And more The threat of death. Election officials on both parties have repeatedly praised CISA for non-political support in their work, saying agency recommendations and free security services are important in increasing their efforts.
