By Daniel Braun ’27; Image by NPR
Foreign election interference is not a new concept. Historically, foreign nations have sought to sway the political outcomes of their rivals to serve their interests. However, the internet has amplified these efforts, making them more sophisticated and complex to trace.
There is a clear precedent for why the United States should be concerned about foreign election interference. According to a report by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Russia, Iran, and other countries have previously engaged in operations to influence U.S. electoral outcomes or undermine public confidence in the electoral process (Office of the Director of National Intelligence, 2021). Furthermore, after the 2016 presidential election, multiple intelligence agencies found evidence that Russian interference was aimed to sow discord and influence the U.S. election’s outcome (Mueller, R. and S. III, 2019). Such interference undermines the integrity of elections and erodes public trust in the democratic process.
With wars raging all around the world, the United States is even more likely to face election interference. As the United States is a significant source of aid and supplies to Ukraine, it would be in the best interest of Russia for Donald Trump to be the next president as he and many of his Republican counterparts have signaled that they would cut off or reduce aid to Ukraine.
Digital election interference most often involves direct hacking attempts and disinformation campaigns. Social media platforms have become battlegrounds where foreign operatives disseminate false information to polarize communities and skew public opinion (Woolley, S., & Howard, P. N., 2019). These operations’ sheer scale and subtlety make them challenging to combat.
Since there is a clear precedent for concern around election interference, the U.S. government must take measures to safeguard elections from such interference. The U.S. government and private sector partners have ramped up efforts to secure the electoral infrastructure. Measures include enhancing cybersecurity defenses, increasing public awareness about disinformation, and fostering greater collaboration among federal, state, and local entities. The United States government has established The Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to combat the misinformation. According to their website, “CISA helps the American people understand the risks from foreign influence operations and disinformation and how citizens can play a role in reducing its impact on their organizations and communities. This work is done in close partnership with the interagency, private sector, academia, and international stakeholders.” Their guiding principle is that “CISA helps the American people understand the risks from foreign influence operations and disinformation and how citizens can play a role in reducing its impact on their organizations and communities. This work is done in close partnership with the interagency, private sector, academia, and international stakeholders.” (Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency, 2021). The creation and mission of this agency is an important step in determining how we can protect the American democratic process.
Additionally, X, formerly known as Twitter, has launched community notes to fight disinformation. According to X, the notes “aim to create a better informed world by empowering people on X to collaboratively add context to potentially misleading posts. Contributors can leave notes on any post, and if enough contributors from different points of view rate that note as helpful, the note will be publicly shown on a post.” One can apply to be a community notes moderator. But, obviously, X alone cannot protect social media from foreign interference, other social media companies must follow suit.
The responsibility does not rest solely with the authorities or with big tech companies. Citizens must remain vigilant, critically assess information, and understand the news sources they consume. There is only so much that can be done to prevent misinformation. Education on media literacy and critical thinking skills are essential tools in the fight against disinformation.
Foreign governments trying to advance their agendas are clearly threatening the United States elections through the media. The United States government and its citizens must take this threat seriously and act against it. Although measures are being taken, more must be done to educate the public about misinformation and meddling. Not doing so puts the United States’ elections at risk and, therefore, its democracy.
Bibliography
National Intelligence Council, Foreign Threats to the 2020 US Federal Elections, Rep. (Mar. 10, 2021). Accessed March 31, 2024.
https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/ICA-declass-16MAR21.pdf.
Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller, III, Report On The Investigation Into Russian Interference In The 2016 Presidential Election, S. Doc. (Mar. 2019). Accessed March 31, 2024. https://www.justice.gov/archives/sco/file/1373816/dl.
United States Government. “Combating Foreign Influence.” FBI. Accessed March 31, 2024. https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/counterintelligence/foreign-influence.
———. “Foreign Influence Operations and Disinformation.” Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency. Accessed March 31, 2024.
https://www.cisa.gov/topics/election-security/foreign-influence-operations-and-disinform ation.
Woolley, Samuel C., and Philip N. Howard. Computational Propaganda: Political Parties, Politicians, and Political Manipulation on Social Media. Oxford Scholarship Online. Oxford University Press, 2018. Accessed March 31, 2024.
