Friday, March 29, 2024
ADVT 
National

B.C. needs change to keep cyber threats out of its election process: report

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 25 May, 2020 08:21 PM
  • B.C. needs change to keep cyber threats out of its election process: report

British Columbia's chief electoral officer is recommending the government make several changes to protect the provincial electoral process from foreign interference, misleading advertising and impersonation.

A report submitted to the legislature from Anton Boegman says cyber threats have jeopardized the integrity of free and fair elections around the world.

An election in B.C. is scheduled for 2021 and the report says that while such threats haven't been widely seen in the province, the risks they represent to the electoral process are real.

Disinformation campaigns and election interference have been well documented during the 2016 Brexit vote in the United Kingdom and the U.S. election in 2016.

Boegman's report says cyber threats operate in a space that hasn't been contemplated by current legislation and they compromise provisions intended for a fair, transparent and accountable election process.

If adopted by members of the legislature, the report says the recommendations would give Elections BC tools regulate digital campaigning and mitigate the risks of the threats to electoral integrity.

"These recommendations will ensure our electoral legislation is fit-for-purpose in the 21st century," Boegman says in a news release. "While many provisions in current legislation are equally effective regardless of whether campaigning is analog or digital, certain aspects should be changed to ensure our regulatory framework is effective in today's digital environment."

 

MORE National ARTICLES

Charges laid in pipeline protest outside B.C. Premier John Horgan's home

Charges laid in pipeline protest outside B.C. Premier John Horgan's home
The BC Prosecution Service says it has appointed a special prosecutor to oversee charges against three people in relation to allegations of mischief and trespass at the home of Premier John Horgan.

Charges laid in pipeline protest outside B.C. Premier John Horgan's home

Online games could be source of money laundering, B.C. public inquiry hears

Online games could be source of money laundering, B.C. public inquiry hears
A public inquiry into money laundering in British Columbia has heard that cash is still king but cryptocurrencies and other virtual trade could rise as a trend.

Online games could be source of money laundering, B.C. public inquiry hears

Air Canada Announces New Schedule Offering Customers Wide Choice of Destinations for Safe Travel this Summer and Expands Goodwill Policy

Air Canada Announces New Schedule Offering Customers Wide Choice of Destinations for Safe Travel this Summer and Expands Goodwill Policy
Air Canada is offering customers a choice of nearly 100 destinations in Canada, the U.S. and around the world with an abridged schedule this summer.

Air Canada Announces New Schedule Offering Customers Wide Choice of Destinations for Safe Travel this Summer and Expands Goodwill Policy

Vancouver Police report 'staggering' increase in Anti-Asian hate crimes

Vancouver Police report 'staggering' increase in Anti-Asian hate crimes
Anti-Asian racism has spiked since COVID-19 forced B.C. into a state of emergency in March and Vancouver police say that's driven an increase in hate crimes overall.

Vancouver Police report 'staggering' increase in Anti-Asian hate crimes

British Columbia records 18 new cases of COVID-19, three new deaths

British Columbia records 18 new cases of COVID-19, three new deaths
British Columbia recorded 18 new cases of COVID-19 Friday, bringing the province's total number of active cases to 310.

British Columbia records 18 new cases of COVID-19, three new deaths

Surrey man caught driving impaired twice in one night

Surrey man caught driving impaired twice in one night
A 37-year-old Surrey man may be facing a long road through the court system after driving impaired twice in one night – only hours apart. On May 18, 2020 shortly before midnight, a Surrey RCMP Frontline officer came across a collision involving an SUV and a sedan in the area of 16 Avenue and 168 Street, and stopped to investigate.

Surrey man caught driving impaired twice in one night

PrevNext