MEDIA ADVISORY: Nebraska Election Cybersecurity Workshop Thursday
On Thursday, June. 18, 2020, the USC Election Cybersecurity Initiative will host a free online Nebraska workshop, offering resources to campaigns, election workers, elected officials, academics, media and concerned citizens to reinforce election cybersecurity measures.
Contact: Tiffany Shackelford (703)470-2996 or tshackel@usc.edu; Emily Gersema, (213) 740-6973 or gersema@usc.edu; or Ted Kissell, (714) 316-8808 or tkissell@usc.edu
Experts on Thursday afternoon will lead discussions on election cybersecurity with state and local officials and campaign representatives to help improve election cybersecurity in Nebraska. Topics will include cyber safety, disinformation and misinformation, and crisis communications.
The USC Election Cybersecurity Initiative, supported by a generous gift from Google, is an independent, bipartisan effort to strengthen election cybersecurity through workshops held for each of the 50 states.
“We are going to all 50 states, in person when possible or virtually when we cannot, to make certain information about best practices is available to everyone, but especially for those in campaigns and elections,” said Adam Clayton Powell III, executive director of the project. “We are a national campaign, and our candidate is democracy.”
The initiative kicked off in January in Maryland, drawing experts in national security, elected officials, as well as journalists and concerned members of the public. It continued to Ohio, California, Kentucky, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arkansas, Virginia, Louisiana, Wyoming, Iowa, South Carolina, Delaware, Montana, Utah, Missouri, Alabama, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Connecticut, Kansas, Idaho, Vermont, North Dakota, and now Nebraska.
“In advance of the 2020 election, we are committed to enhancing election security for voters, campaigns and journalists alike,” said Kristie Canegallo, vice president of Google’s Trust and Safety team. “We’re proud to support USC’s Election Security and Information Project to provide comprehensive training to candidates, campaigns, academics, elected officials, and NGOs to help them prepare for security challenges before the 2020 election.”
“Election security and cybersecurity are more linked than ever. It’s essential that those involved with our electoral process have the tools necessary to defend our institutions. We’re excited to pull from both sides of the aisle for perspectives and best practices in every state, and Nebraska is no exception,” said Griffin, the initiative’s managing director.
WHAT: USC Election Cybersecurity Initiative. The topics covered include cyber safety, disinformation and misinformation, and crisis communication.
WHO: Experts speaking include:
- Wayne Bena, Nebraska Deputy Secretary of State
- Don Bacon, U.S. House of Representatives, State of Nebraska
- Elsbeth Magilton, Executive Director of Technology, Security, and Space Law Initiatives, University of Nebraska College of Law
- Justin (Gus) Hurwitz, Associate Professor of law and Co-Director of space, cyber, and telecom law program, University of Nebraska College of Law
- Gary Kebbel, Director, Center for Mobile Media, University of Nebraska
- Marilyn C. Wolf, Elmer E. Koch Professor of Engineering and Chair of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Nebraska –Lincoln
- Christopher Carithers, Chief Deputy Election Commissioner, Douglas County Election Commission
- Theresa Thibodeau, Chairwoman, Douglas County Republican Party
- Richard Alloway, General Manager, 90.3 KRNU and KRNU2; Associate Professor of Broadcasting, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
- Clifford Neuman, Director, USC Center for Computer Systems Security; Senior Project Leader, USC Information Sciences Institute; and Associate Research Professor of Computer Science, USC Viterbi School of Engineering
- Tom Lange, Advisory Board Member, USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations
- Sarah Mojarad, Lecturer, USC Viterbi School of Engineering
- Adam Clayton Powell III, Executive Director, USC Election Cybersecurity Initiative, and former USC Vice Provost
- Justin Griffin, Managing Director, USC Election Cybersecurity Initiative, and veteran of corporate reputation and political campaigns
WHERE: Zoom Event. You will receive credentials upon registration.
WHEN: Thursday, June 18, 2020 1:30 – 3:30 PM Central Time
REGISTRATION: To attend, register here: https://bit.ly/36XjSff
MORE INFORMATION: The initiative is led by the USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy, established by University Professor Geoffrey Cowan, who is the principal investigator for the USC Elections Cybersecurity Initiative. For more background on CCLP, please visit its website.