- This is how Craigslist founder Craig Newmark is pushing for election security
If we learned anything from the 2016 presidential election, then it is that foreign adversaries have a major interest in the outcome. This is why Russian entities hacked the DNC and the emails of John Podesta along with funding divisive ads on Facebook. Craigslist founder Craig Newmark is providing funding to prevent this from happening again in 2020.
“To thrive, this country needs a safe, trustworthy press and secure elections. But foreign adversaries and their domestic allies are attacking the folks who facilitate these aspects of our democratic process,” said Newmark in a post on LinkedIn. “Especially with 2020 approaching, we seriously need to shore up our defenses. That’s why I renewed support for the Global Cyber Alliance’s work to help news, elections, and government protect themselves from cyber threats.”
And Newmark told Fast Company that he has seen the election and its integrity being attacked by foreign adversaries and their domestic allies so he believes that people smarter than him should “defend the election, and thereby defend the country.”
This year, Newmark gave $1 million to the Global Cyber Alliance, which provides cybersecurity tools for officials and journalists. Plus he is also donating another $750,000 via the Craig Newmark Philanthropies to further continue the project.
The tools that Global Cyber Alliance helps with include two-factor authentication, software updates, antivirus platforms, and automatic backups. These tools are used by election officials around the world.
Newmark also recommended journalists and officials to use a Chromebook if they can. Why? Newmark said that Chromebooks are “probably the most secure notebook you can carry around.”
