The 2020 election promises to be impactful for millions of Americans. Voters are looking for clarity regarding how they can participate and vote during a pandemic in addition to seeking a guarantee that their vote is secure. Tech is boosting participation and bolstering the security of our election processes so all Americans’ voices can be heard this fall. See below for more information about how the tech industry working to make it easier to vote and to do so in a safe and secure manner.

How Tech Boosts Election Participation, Security

We’re committed to supporting democratic processes around the world (Google)
We’re building products and programs to help people across the globe engage with democratic processes, to protect elections and campaigns, and to help campaigns manage their digital presence.

Launching Our US 2020 Voting Information Center (Facebook)
We’re launching our Voting Information Center on Facebook and Instagram, which will serve as a one-stop-shop to give people in the US the tools and information they need to make their voices heard at the ballot box.

Increasing election security monitoring in cloud computing (Microsoft)
Microsoft’s Albert provides network security alerts for both basic and advanced network threats, helping organizations identify malicious activity such as attempted intrusions by foreign adversaries or cybercriminals.

Uber Announces 2020 Get Out The Vote Effort (Uber)
Many eligible voters say lack of transportation is a roadblock to get to the polls, and the coronavirus pandemic could make this issue even more challenging this year.

Preventing Election Interference (Facebook)
Elections have changed and so has Facebook. Since 2016 we’ve tripled the size of our teams working on safety and security to include more than 35,000 people, and we’ve created rapid response centers to monitor our platforms leading up to the general election.

Election security collaboration between tech companies and USG agencies (Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Verizon Media)
For the past several years, we have worked closely with government agencies to counter information operations across our platforms.

Expanding Voting Access in 2020 (Lyft)
This election year, for the first time, we’re providing voters with free and discounted rides to the polls throughout the entire primary calendar and the general election.

Making Voting This Year Easy (HPE)

Apple to Give Employees Paid Time Off to Vote (Apple)

Vote of Confidence: Securing the 2020 Election (Cisco)

What’s New in Tech

Protecting Democracy, Especially in a Time of Crisis (Microsoft)

It’s critical when we’re facing crises that we protect our core values, including democracy. Democracies were already facing adversaries intent on using cyberattacks to disrupt our elections and democratic processes. Now, as the world battles the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen, and others have reported, that nation states and cybercriminals are taking advantage of the crisis by using virus-themed phishing attacks and other techniques to attack critical institutions. We must assume they will use these techniques to target our elections as well.

Read more here.

What We’re Saying

· TechNet Announces Chris Gilrein as Executive Director for Massachusetts and the Northeast. Read the press release here.

· Chris Gilrein has been tapped as TechNet’s Executive Director for the Northeast. (Politico Morning Tech) Read this news feature here.

· Tech companies should join industry groups like TechNet to be a part of the conversation. (EE Times OpEd) Read this news feature here.

Before You Start Your Weekend

As we approach Election Day, ensuring a secure voting process is top of mind for millions of Americans. Watch this video from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission that lays out each step taken toward conducting a free, fair, and secure election.