Justice Department says it is committed to sharing information about foreign election threats with technology companies

WASHINGTON – The Department of Justice remains committed to sharing information it collects about foreign governments’ efforts to influence this year’s elections with social media companies. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco will hold a lawyers’ conference on Friday.

Speaking at the American Bar Association’s annual meeting, Monaco, the department’s No. abuse of their platforms by adversaries conducting foreign malign influence operations, including those targeting our elections.”

The comments are part of a wider speech on election security, in which Monaco will also warn that Russia remains the main foreign threat to the elections, with Moscow targeting specific voting demographics and the use of encrypted direct messaging apps to contact Americans and sound the alarm about a growing threat of violence against public officials – including election workers.

The Department of Justice in the last two years processed almost 700 threat casesalmost half of which involved civil servants.

“These threats are increasing and are unacceptable. No one should have to endure threats of violence simply for doing their job,” Monaco said, according to prepared remarks obtained by The Associated Press. “For the right to vote to be real for all Americans, election officials – who are often volunteers – must be able to do their jobs free from improper influence, physical threats or any other conduct designed to intimidate.”

The speech will be delivered at the ABA Democracy Summit in Chicago, with Monaco reminding the audience of lawyers their obligation to defend the rule of law and promote faith in electoral integrity.

“Our republic depends on the functioning of a free and fair electoral process – with results that are respected and with elections free of violence and free from foreign interference,” Monaco will say.

Monaco’s comments come weeks after a Supreme Court ruling that allowed the federal government to interact with social media companies, judges ruling against Republican-led states which alleged that federal authorities relied on the platforms to unconstitutionally suppress conservative viewpoints. The court said the states and other parties did not have the legal right, or standing, to sue.

The department this week also released for the first time a series of procedures the FBI uses to decide when to share information with social media companies about threats to their platforms. This measure was encouraged in a recent report by the Justice Department’s inspector general.

“As we carry out this work, we will continue to keep the public updated on not only why we are doing this, but also how we are doing it,” Monaco will say.

Under the procedures, the FBI may contact companies when it identifies activity on a platform conducted by or on behalf of a foreign government to support an influence operation or when there are specific, credible facts demonstrating that the activity may be attributed to a foreigner. government. The procedures state that the FBI must make clear that it is not asking the social media company to take any action and that the company is under no obligation to do so.