U.S. election official: ‘Whack-a-mole’ strategies less effective to combat disinfo

At a Semafor event, CISA senior adviser Cait Conley warned that disinformation and foreign influence operations remain election concerns but that the fragmentation of social media has made traditional moderation and takedown “whack-a-mole” strategies less effective; federal coordination with platforms has also declined amid legal challenges with a Supreme Court ruling pending. Conley countered claims about insecure electronic voting machines by outlining years of security improvements, including air-gapping, penetration testing, stringent physical and access controls, deployment of network sensors, and backup paper ballots to support audits and recounts.