Category Archives: chicanery

“Trump’s Jokes About Defying Election Results Could Create Chaos; There’s a real possibility he could declare victory before all the ballots are counted.”

February 4, 2020, 5:58 amchicanery, Election MeltdownRick Hasen

I have written this piece for Slate. It begins: As President Donald Trump plans a triumphant State of the Union address anticipating his likely acquittal by the Senate, the White House is reportedly awash in a sense of invincibility.Trump’s… Continue reading

“The Cybersecurity 202: Iowa caucus debacle shakes public confidence in 2020 security”

February 4, 2020, 5:50 amchicanery, election administration, Election MeltdownRick Hasen

WaPo: The biggest security lesson from last night’s Iowa caucuses: It doesn’t take a hack for technology to undermine confidence in an election. The spectacular failure of a mobile app that was supposed to forward caucus results last night… Continue reading

“A Trump ally’s ‘$25,000 cash giveaway’ for black voters could mean legal trouble”

February 3, 2020, 5:43 pmcampaigns, chicanery, tax law and election lawRick Hasen

Donald Sherman WaPo oped.

“2020’s first election security test: Iowa; The nation’s first caucuses Monday may be almost as low-tech as it gets, but it still faces threats from hackers.”

February 2, 2020, 6:45 pmchicanery, election administrationRick Hasen

Politico reports.

“Burr backs Trump lawyer claim on foreign dirt”

January 30, 2020, 11:52 amcampaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

Politico: Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.) said on Thursday he has “no problem” with a White House lawyer’s argument that American politicians can accept damaging information on their opponents from a foreign country — a proposal that shocked… Continue reading

Bipartisan House Ethics Warning About Members and Their Staffs Circulating Deep Fakes

January 29, 2020, 8:22 amcampaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

New memo (via Brian Svoboda): However, intentional distortions of audio and/or visual representations can be far more damaging. Members have a duty, and a First Amendment right, to contribute to the public discourse, including through parody and satire. However,… Continue reading

“The Technology 202: Pinterest bans misinformation about voting and the census”

January 29, 2020, 8:14 amcampaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

WaPo reports.

“American voters worry they can’t spot misleading information, poll finds”

January 23, 2020, 8:17 amcampaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

PBS: The new survey from PBS NewsHour, NPR and Marist Poll found that 59 percent of Americans say it is hard to identify false information — intentionally misleading and inaccurate stories portrayed as truth — on social media. Another… Continue reading

“Tech Companies Volunteer to Beef Up Presidential Campaigns’ Cybersecurity”

January 23, 2020, 8:15 amcampaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

WSJ: Nearly a dozen technology companies said they will provide free or reduced-cost cybersecurity services to presidential campaigns, which experts and intelligence officials have warned are ripe targets for intrusion and disinformation.They join a growing number of firms … Continue reading

“Lev Parnas Paid His Way Into Donald Trump’s Orbit”

January 20, 2020, 8:26 amcampaign finance, chicaneryRick Hasen

WSJ: After Donald Trump’s election, Lev Parnas saw a chance to cash in on his connections.The Florida businessman and Trump donor was courting investors for a real-estate project. He took one of them, Roman Nasirov, at the time the head… Continue reading

“FBI plans to notify states about local election breaches”

January 17, 2020, 7:16 amchicanery, election administration, voting technologyRick Hasen

AP reports.

“Democrats sound election security alarm after Russia’s Burisma hack”

January 15, 2020, 8:36 amchicaneryDan Tokaji

The Hill: Congressional Democrats are raising fresh concerns about 2020 election security following a report this week that Russian military officers hacked Burisma Holdings, the Ukrainian gas company at the center of President Trump’s impeachment.Several Democratic lawmakers are… Continue reading

“Digital Threats on 2020 Elections”

January 12, 2020, 7:20 amchicanery, political polarizationDan Tokaji

NPR interview with Siva Vaidhyanathan. An excerpt: MARTIN: So moving forward in 2020, as where we sit right now – obviously, it’s an election year in the United States. And I assume most Americans are very interested and concerned in… Continue reading

“‘Chaos Is the Point’: Russian Hackers and Trolls Grow Stealthier in 2020”

January 10, 2020, 9:25 amchicaneryDan Tokaji

Must-read report in today’s NYT: The National Security Agency and its British counterpart issued an unusual warning in October: The Russians were back and growing stealthier.Groups linked to Russia’s intelligence agencies, they noted, had recently been uncovered boring into… Continue reading