This story is part of 2020 elections, CNET’s reporting on preparations for vote in November.
Senator Kamala Harris warned on Tuesday that Russia would interfere again US elections This year it is predicted that a page will be taken from the successful 2016 game book.
The former Democratic presidential candidate referred Russia’s interference and using technology and social media to “create chaos” and compromise the integrity of our electoral system.
“When they influenced our elections, they somewhat compromised the integrity of our electoral system, and they achieved their goal,” said Harris at the Lesbians Who Tech & Allies Virtual Pride Summit. “And they did it through technology.”
Tech companies play a funny or unwitting role in foreign attacks on our country, she said. When asked about Jack Dorsey’s attempt to ban political advertising from Twitter, Harris referred to a bill she proposed that political advertising must disclose who paid for it. This is required in television advertising, but not in social media.
“Until we can pass laws, I would like to urgently ask the Institute for Social Media Companies [requiring disclosures] as their policy, “she said.
Nefarious parties “will not give in,” she said. “2020 will not be immune and [there will be] Attacks, misinformation campaigns, distortions of reality and truth to keep the American people from voting. “A report by the Senate Secret Service Committee, of which Harris is already a member, in October calls for measures to prevent interference in this year’s elections.
Speaking to privacy, Harris said that while she never wants to suppress innovation, she wants to make sure consumer information is protected. She created the Data Protection and Protection Department while serving as the Attorney General in California to ensure that the public “is informed, is aware of their personal information and data, and has the necessary tools,” she said. I am not in one System that could bring them comfort without knowing what to give up in exchange. “
Many companies and startups are doing well because “they have found a way to collect a lot of data that can then be processed, dissected, and analyzed so that things can be sold,” she said.
“There is still a lot of space in this place … to inform consumers and protect them from their private information and data. This is the new gold.”
And regarding the role of technology in current protests, she said that while the 1960s and 1970s saw their share, “one of the differences today than before is that everyone sees what certain communities have known for generations and what they have known can”. That’s why I closed my eyes to previous generations. “