ELECTION MANIPULATION

A short but trenchant overview of a topic guaranteed to dominate headlines this election year.

“They’re doing it as we sit here.” Robert Mueller’s warning in his Congressional testimony sets the urgent tone. “Election manipulation,” as used in this volume, focuses specifically on digital threats which are addressed in three distinct categories: the hacking of campaigns and other political entities; the use of social media to spread disinformation and propaganda; and tampering with the actual process of voting, including exploiting the vulnerabilities of voting machines. Allen looks at each in turn, emphasizing examples from the 2016 U.S. presidential election but with references to the 2018 U.S. midterms and European elections as well. Russia and Russian-sponsored entities are called out as the chief bad actors, but the dangers of North Korea, Iran, China, and domestic perpetrators are not discounted. The crisp, energetic prose endeavors to be nonpartisan but clearly disapproves of the priorities of President Donald Trump (and several other Republican politicians), repeatedly noting their indifference to and dismissal of the seriousness of the issues and their obstruction of proposed remedies. While the overall message is alarming, Allen emphasizes that basic awareness and common-sense safeguards can go a long way to improving security. The sources cited are all up-to-the-minute; color photographs and informative text boxes enhance the work.

Terrifying and timely.