The Cyber Security and Infrastructure Security Agency has frozen all its election security work and examines everything it has done to help local and local authorities. The move is the first example of the country’s Cyber Defense Agency, which includes President Donald Trump’s false claims of fraud in elections and online censorship.
In a note sent to all CISA employees on Friday, CISA CEO Bridget Bean said he is ordering “review and evaluation” of any position in the agency for election security and to counter inaccurate And the lack of information. As well as any security of the election and [mis-, dis-, and malinformation] The product, activity, services, and programs that have been implemented “since the federal government has introduced election systems as important infrastructure in 2017.
Bean added: “CISA will pause all election security activities until the review is completed.” The agency is also reducing funding for these activities at the Center for Information Division and Election Infrastructure Infrastructure Analysis, a group provided by the Home Department of Security, who served as a coordinated entity for the election community.
In his note, Bean confirmed that the CISA, as first reported by Politico, was initially identified as related to election security activities and MDM on administrative leave on February 7.
“The agency’s election security activities need to be saved to ensure that the CISA is exclusively focused on its cyber mission and physical security,” he told the note.
While Bean is temporarily leading CISA, he is officially the CEO of the Agency, its top job. The first CISA manager created the executive-director’s role in providing sustainability during political transfer. Previously, Bean was appointed by Trump at the Federal Emergency Management Agency in his first period.
In justifying the internal review of CISA, which ends on March 6, Bean cited Trump’s January 20 executive order on “ending federal censorship”. Conservatives have argued that the CISA censored its remarks in coordination with technical companies to identify online online information in 2020. The CISA has denied any censorship, and the US Supreme Court has rejected a lawsuit for government work. But following a strong reaction, CISA stopped most of the conversations with technical operating systems about online abuse and information.
CISA and DHS did not immediately respond to comment requests.
Since 2017, state and local election officials have trusted the expertise and resources of the CISA – as well as its partnership with other agencies – to improve their physical and digital security. Through site consultation and online guidance, CISA has helped election managers guarantee voting infrastructure against hackers, make voting places against active shooters, and back up the survey backup programs to counter To make a vote or power outage.
Election supervisors have always strived to overcome serious budget challenges, but in recent years their jobs have become even more stressful because careful examination of voters has caused harassment and even death threats. Election officials both parties have repeatedly praised the CISA for their illegal support for their work, saying that free agency and security services have been very important to strengthen their efforts.
