June 5, 2024, WASHINGTON – As the 2024 election season begins, Defending Digital Campaigns (DDC), a nonprofit, non-partisan and non-aligned C4 organization that provides free or low-cost cybersecurity resources to political campaigns, yesterday co-hosted with Google the Campaign Security Summit: Protecting America’s Democracy in Cambridge, Mass. The summit was part of the Campaign Security Project in which Google and DDC host a series of regional summits for high-risk election-related stakeholders. 

“In this important election year, maintaining the digital integrity of political campaigns at every level is crucial,” said Michael Kaiser, president & CEO of Defending Digital Campaigns. “The summit brought together leaders from both parties and cybersecurity experts who discussed the threat landscape facing political campaigns both nationally and in Massachusetts. With a concerted bipartisan effort, and by putting the right tools and practices in place, we can help protect campaigns from cyber incidents that have the potential to do significant damage.”

Building off of several successful co-branded cybersecurity activations, this summit series convened a wide range of leaders in technology and democracy, including Google executives, AI and cybersecurity experts and Massachusetts state elected officials. The summit highlighted today’s threat landscape, such as the latest technology and tools available to Massachusetts' political campaigns as well as realistic measures to secure critical campaign staff against imminent cyber threats.

“Google remains committed to equipping high-risk users, including campaigns and elected officials, with best-in-class security tools and technology to protect them from the unique threats they face online,” said Laurie Richardson, VP trust & safety at Google. “We are proud to partner with expert organizations like the DDC to directly connect with this audience to conduct training, provide free tools and set them up with additional layers of account security, which is critical in the context of safeguarding elections.” 

"We have hundreds of seats in Massachusetts up for re-election this November, making our state a prime target for threat actors to exploit vulnerabilities," said Steve Kerrigan, chair of the Massachusetts Democratic Party. "The political and cyber landscapes are evolving in tandem, and it is crucial to provide the resources, training and support needed for our political campaigns to defend themselves against these threats. These conversations and precautions are needed now more than ever as we safeguard campaigns and elections both in our state and across the nation."

"This election cycle is facing unprecedented challenges from misinformation and confusion aided by AI and other technologies, making a better understanding of potential challenges crucial for voters,” said Amy Carnevale, chair of the Massachusetts Republican Party. “We look forward to seeing the impact DDC will have through the resources and education they will be providing Massachusetts’ candidates.” 

Below is a list of the event’s featured speakers and panels:

• Speakers: 

• Michael Kaiser, President and CEO of Defending Digital Campaigns 

• John Hultquist, Chief Analyst, Mandiant Intelligence Google

• Sen. Barry Finegold, Massachusetts State Senate

• Amy Carnevale, Chair, Massachusetts Republican Party

• Steve Kerrigan, Chair, Massachusetts Democratic Party

• Elizabeth Mahoney, Vice President of Policy and Government Affairs, Massachusetts High Technology Council

• Frederick W. Clark, Jr., President, Bridgewater State University

• Grace Hoyt, Global Product Partnerships Lead, Google

• Panels:

• Artificial Intelligence and Elections

• Massachusetts Elections 2024: Online Threats and Opportunities

• Threats vs Practicality: Realistic Solutions for Securing Campaigns

For more information, please contact:

Christina Gillham

Thatcher+Co.

Email: cgilllham@thatcherandco.com  

About Defending Digital Campaigns (DDC):
DDC is a nonprofit C4, nonpartisan and non-aligned organization providing access to free cybersecurity products, services and information. DDC's founding members and board include the former presidential campaign managers for Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney, as well as former senior officials at the NSA and DHS, and the tech industry. DDC works with the world's leading technology vendors to make their services available directly to campaigns in addition to providing education for campaign professionals. DDC was granted special permission by the Federal Election Commission to operate under this model, providing all campaigns — regardless of party — with the support they need within the limits of campaign finance law. For more information about DDC and its work, visit https://defendcampaigns.org/