Guardian: New Era--our elections will now be decided by hackers and leaked data

[Tanuki]

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/nov/16/wikileaks-elections-hackers-surveillance-technology

..."Following two separate cyber-attacks targeting major political parties in Germany, both with links to Russia, Chancellor Angela Merkel warned last week that Russia may try to influence the upcoming German federal elections in September 2017 through a campaign of hacking and disinformation. Germany is already facing “a daily task” of responding to Russian cyber-attacks, Merkel says. Security experts suggest Russia may think it would be better able to deal with a more leftwing government than the current grand coalition led by Merkel, a center-right conservative.

The trail of evidence in many recent hacks points to Russia, says Martin Schallbruch, deputy director of the Digital Society Institute in Berlin. “It’s significant that attacks like this increasingly try to capture large volumes of data, as was the case with the DNC, in order to do something with them in the future,” Schallbruch said. “We’re a year away from German national elections. And an attacker who stocks up on information today is better capable of action in nine months, be it leaking that information or blackmailing someone. It’s conceivable. We’ve seen it in the US, so why not in Germany?”
.......

But the recent US presidential election is the first time technology has played such a central role in digging into private lives, hacking into private communications, unearthing what was previously unearthable – and then providing the means to broadcast that all over the world. Adding to the mystery and tragedy is the apparent likelihood that foreign governments increasingly have the capabilities to do this to each other, trying to sway the outcome of elections and help the voters of another nation pick a leader they find more palatable.

Allowing Julian Assange or Vladimir Putin to become the kingmakers for important elections all over the world seems like a shortcut toward a democratic death spiral. We need to consider the vastly disproportionate influence of technology, because the critical processes and institutions of democracy may be more fragile than we thought."

[malaise]

1. Let's be clear - the US, other Western powers as well as Soviet/now Russian interests

have interfered in more elections than I can count. They have also been involved in regime change via coups, civil wars and all kinds of velvety revolutions.

There are no saints here - do unto others as you'd have them do unto you.

[Tanuki]

2. True, that. Fair point. n/t