In addition to disinformation, concerns have been raised about the return of completed ballots and the potential for toxic substances to be mailed to election offices. The FBI, CISA, EAC, and NIST recommend paper ballot return as electronic ballot return technologies pose significant security risks. A separate alert from CISA indicates that election workers may face physical threats, including potentially lethal substances sent in the mail. The agency advises all election offices to have procedures in place to handle potentially dangerous mail and to train all personnel on these procedures.
Key takeaways:
- State and county officials are being urged to use paper ballots over electronic ones due to potential security risks, and to prepare for the possibility of dangerous substances being mailed to their offices.
- There is a growing concern about election-related disinformation, including AI-assisted disinformation, which is expected to be amplified by social media during the upcoming elections in the US, UK, and Canada.
- The US, UK, and Canadian governments have pledged to combat foreign 'information manipulation' that aims to undermine democracies and human rights globally, endorsing the Framework to Counter Foreign State Information Manipulation.
- There are significant security risks associated with electronic ballot return technologies, and these should be limited to voters who can't return their ballot by any other means, according to guidance from the FBI, CISA, the EAC, and NIST.