As Canada and the United States get ready for national elections in 2019 and 2020, respectively, there will be a renewed focus on ensuring that there’s no repeat of the 2016 US election, which was marked by Russia hacking the Democrats in what became known as “election meddling.”
While it’s still months away, Canada’s national cybersecurity agency says it is “very likely” that Canada will encounter foreign cyber influence before, during and after the election. Political parties, candidates and political staff will continue to be “attractive targets.”
Russia’s sophisticated, multi-pronged election interference campaign has politicos in North America looking for the best way to get all the benefits of modern telecommunications without any of the risk associated with hacking — what they need is real encryption.
End-To-End Encryption
The surest way for political operatives to know that their campaigns, and even the democratic process itself, are safe is for them to keep it protected from the beginning with end-to-end encryption. While 2016 feels like yesterday, encryption technology has already markedly improved, with tools on the market offering both high levels of functionality and protection. The industry leaders have pioneered new approaches to the encrypted smartphone, which offer integrated PGP and Elliptical Curve Cryptography encryption solutions. You can visit ChatMailSecure.com to learn more about how their proprietary Advanced Messaging and Parsing Protocol (CAMP) lets users access all the features they need to keep connected, such as: chat messaging, group chat, anonymous group chat, voice messaging and image messaging.
Ease of Use
Historically, the truly protected forms of communication were clunky to use and had reduced functionality. One of the major improvements in recent encrypted technology is how easy it has become for nontech experts to use essential encryption tools, such as tamper-proofing, automatic message delete, new key generation, and message saving. On a practical level, people won’t use a new tool if it is too cumbersome and time-consuming each time they use it. It’s essential that the interface is easy to navigate, and finally, it is. You don’t need to be a tech expert or worry that the tools keeping you safe don’t keep you sufficiently connected: with the right device, anybody can keep plugged in while ensuring their communications are totally safe.
Democracy at Stake
Since foreign interference in a country’s election undermines their sovereignty, it’s not an overstatement to say that encryption tools could be the difference between keeping democracy safe. Political campaigns are always intense and high-stakes, but Canadians are already being targeted by “foreign actors” — elections in the 21st century are different from those of the past. Politicians have an obligation to both their parties and to their country to make sure foreign interference doesn’t influence their country’s election. It’s in their partisan interest to tightly control their message, while every sovereign country needs to determine its leadership without foreign interference. To truly guarantee this, they need to be proactive and serious about keeping their communications secure — the most modern end-to-end encryption tool is the best way to enjoy flexible communication tools while also preventing foreign hackers from accessing top-secret information.
