Preparing for election-related security issues

Principal Researcher

April 11, 2024

“The Unblinking Eye” by Darron Birgenheier (CC BY SA 2.0)

It’s the Digital Security Training team at Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF), with security news that keeps you, your sources, and your devices safe. If someone has shared this newsletter with you, please subscribe here.

In the news

Throughout this year, our digital security training team will share our thoughts on navigating security issues during the 2024 election season. Elections around the world experience distinct security issues that may change from year to year, but in the U.S. we look to 2020 for lessons on how to get ahead of likely issues, from surveillance of our sensitive communications to perennial phishing attacks and harassment for political reporting. Read our first 2024 election security roundtable to learn more.

What you can do

We often encourage journalists to think ahead of time about how our personal identities, as well as the coverage we produce, will impact the likelihood of experiencing digital attacks and harassment. The preparation looks different for everyone. You may be dealing with particularly elevated risk if you are doing politically sensitive reporting (e.g., concerning extremist groups) or work in volatile situations in the field, including covering the protests that many expect. We should be prepared, so we can approach these situations with more confidence. If your team is not currently talking about how to organize for expected reporting later in the year, now’s a great time to build coalitions and get started strategizing. If you are looking for help, reach out to our team here.
To begin learning how to mitigate against the security concerns you’d like to prioritize for this year, check out our guides and resources.

We are always ready to assist journalists with digital security concerns. Reach out here, and stay safe and secure out there.

Best,
Martin

Read more about Digital Security Digest

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Apple warns iPhone users of targeted malware

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