On June 25, 2019, Dr. Latanya Sweeney, Professor of Government at Harvard University’s Institute for Quantitative Social Science, testified before the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology on the topic of election security.
Professor Sweeney opened her remarks by discussing a series of research studies that she, along with a group of students, conducted in January of 2016. The studies looked at how attackers could use technology in an attempt to adversely impact elections. “We found 35 states including the District of Columbia where voter registrations could be changed on the website.” Sweeney said. According to the panelists, in an effort to make voting more accessible and convenient, these systems become exposed to targeting by foreign actors. Furthermore, election systems are weakened by aging technology and lack of personnel training on election security vulnerabilities.
Watch the entire hearing below. For more information on Dr. Sweeney and other privacy issues, please visit www.epic.org.
