US Cybersecurity Chair: The Spike In Disinformation Has No Impact On Elections, Really?

JAKARTA - Director of the United States Cybersecurity Agency, Jen Easterly, stated on Monday 4 November that it had not found evidence of activities that could directly affect the election results, despite a spike in disinformation.

Easterly added that the 2024 election faces an "unprecedented amount of disinformation" from foreign parties. US government agencies have warned that Russia and other parties are trying to trigger a divisive narrative ahead of the election. That is an accusation Russia has denied.

Last week, officials in the state of Georgia revealed a fake video circulating online, showing an immigrant from Haiti and several Georgian IDs claiming to have voted many times. US intelligence officials linked the video to the Russian side.

A senior official from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency said it was likely that foreign disinformation efforts would continue a few weeks into the months after the election, even until January 6.

Easterly insists that "election infrastructure has never been as secure as this, and the electoral community has never been more prepared to hold elections that are safe, protected, free, and fair."