Defending Digital Campaigns and Google Host Summit on Election Security in Colorado

MAY 9, 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, announced today that it will co-host with Google the Campaign Security Summit: Protecting America’s Democracy in Boulder, Colorado. Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, who has overseen eight statewide elections, will provide opening remarks, and George P. Bush, former Texas Land Commissioner, will be joining a panel. Scheduled to take place on May 16, the summit is part of the Campaign Security Project in which Google and DDC are hosting a series of regional summits for high-risk election-related stakeholders.

“In this critical election year, trust in the digital integrity of political campaigns both nationwide and at the state level is more important than ever,” said Michael Kaiser, president & CEO of Defending Digital Campaigns. “This summit represents a convening of state officials and cybersecurity experts leading the cause in providing political campaigns both federally and within Colorado with the essential knowledge and tools required to combat cyber threats. Panelists in attendance will share insights into the current threat landscape in Colorado as well as throughout the country, sharing data on bad actors and ways to combat disorder with best practices.”

Building off of several successful co-branded cybersecurity activations, this summit series will convene a wide range of leaders in technology and democracy, including Google executives, AI and cybersecurity experts and Colorado state elected officials.The summit will highlight today’s threat landscape, such as the latest technology and tools available to Colorado’s 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 Karen Courington, VP, Trust & Safety Trusted Experiences, Consumer for 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.” 

See below for confirmed speakers and panel topics.

  • Cybersecurity Summit: May 16, 2024, from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. CST

  • Location: Google’s Boulder Campus, 3333 Walnut St, Boulder, CO 80301

  • Featured Speakers: 

    • Jena Griswold, Secretary of State, Colorado (opening remarks)

    • George P. Bush, former Land Commissioner, State of Texas

    • Michael Kaiser, president and CEO of Defending Digital Campaigns (DDC)

    • Karen Courington, VP, Trust & Safety Trusted Experiences, Consumer (Google)

    • Mark Weatherford, Chief Strategy Officer (National Cybersecurity Center)

    • Thao Nguyen Kelly, Principal, Global Elections Integrity (Google)

    • Harry D. Raduege, Jr., Lieutenant General (United States Air Force (Ret.)

    • Seth Blank, Chief Technology Officer (Valimail)

    • Grace Hoyt, Global Product Partnerships Lead (Google)

  • Featured Panels:

    • Artificial Intelligence and Elections

    • Colorado Elections 2024: Online Threats and Opportunities

    • Threats vs Practicality: Realistic Solutions for Securing Campaigns

    • Preparing for the Potential Impact of AI on Public, Political, and Nonprofit Organizations

For more information and to confirm your attendance at the summit, 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/