Election season is ramping up, and as November approaches, U.S. adversaries are searching for ways to exert their influence on the outcome. To prevent the dangerous consequences of potential security vulnerabilities flying under the radar, the Intelligence Community is heavily monitoring the actions of foreign nations seeking to undermine U.S. elections.
Learn more about current IC priorities at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Intel Summit on Sept. 19. At the event, you will have the opportunity to hear from key public and private sector intelligence leaders who will gather to weigh in on the most important issues facing the IC today. To learn more and register to attend the summit, head over to the event page on the Potomac Officers Club website.
Today’s Election Security Concerns
An election security update published by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence last month identified three countries that are part of a “diverse, growing and more capable group of foreign actors” that could or is already trying to sway U.S. elections this year: Russia, China and Iran.
Russia, the document states, is the “primary threat” and has already begun trying to reach specific voter demographics, push divisive narratives and disparage certain politicians. ODNI noted social media content and encrypted direct-messaging channels as two of the nation’s primary tactics for conducting these activities.
Though China is “approaching this U.S. presidential election more cautiously,” ODNI is keeping an eye on the nation’s efforts to gather data from U.S. social media platforms, which the IC believes is an effort to strengthen understanding of and potentially shape U.S. public opinion.
Iran is focused on social tensions, according to the document, which specifically noted the Israel-Gaza conflict as one issue the nation is emphasizing. Social media, ODNI said, is one of the nation’s primary tools for carrying out these efforts.
How the IC Is Addressing Election Security Threats
Testifying before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in May, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, a 2024 Wash100 Award winner, said defending elections from foreign influence is an “absolute priority” for the IC.
The community’s method, she said, is “ensuring that our resources are aligned to promote collection and analysis, so that we’re able to identify and mitigate foreign threats to our elections and communicate our assessments to our federal partners, to you in Congress, to state and local officials, and to the American people.”
She also noted the IC’s notification framework, which it uses to alert entities being targeted by bad actors so they can address the issue.
Haines listed three areas beyond adversary nations that may pose a threat to elections: non-state actors, commercial firms through which state actors can work to influence elections and emerging technologies.
The election security update specifically mentions artificial intelligence as a major issue. It notes AI-generated videos spread during Taiwan’s January presidential election and AI-generated ads shared during India’s recent election as two ways bad actors have already used this technology to interfere with elections.
To learn more about how the IC is addressing today’s most pressing national security challenges, register to attend the 2024 Intel Summit.
