POLISCOPE
Back to feed
Part ofelection security →
FEDERALhearing transcript
High Impact

Hearing on Election Infrastructure Security and Online Political Discourse

Original title: SECURING U.S. ELECTION INFRASTRUCTURE AND PROTECTING POLITICAL DISCOURSE

January 1, 2019

election securitycybersecuritysocial medianational securitypolitical discourse

Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.

The Frame

What this does

This hearing establishes the federal oversight framework for how government agencies and private tech companies coordinate to defend and manage online political content, which directly impacts the security and integrity of U.S. voting systems.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

U.S. Voters

The security of election infrastructure directly impacts the integrity and administration of the voting process.

Social Media Companies

These companies are subject to congressional oversight regarding their policies on political discourse and election-related content.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 1, 2019.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

The House Subcommittee on National Security held a hearing on May 22, 2019, to discuss federal efforts to protect U.S. election systems from cyber threats and address foreign influence campaigns on social media platforms. The session included testimony from government officials and representatives from major technology companies regarding their roles in safeguarding democratic processes.

Key Facts

  • The hearing took place on May 22, 2019, in the Rayburn House Office Building.
  • The hearing focused on securing election infrastructure and addressing malicious attempts to influence public opinion.
  • Witnesses included representatives from the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, Election Assistance Commission, Federal Election Commission, and private tech companies (Facebook, Twitter, Google).
  • The subcommittee explicitly stated the hearing's purpose was not to re-litigate the 2016 Presidential election results.
  • A document titled 'Hate Agents' from Facebook was submitted into the record by Representative Hice.

Why It Matters

This hearing establishes the federal oversight framework for how government agencies and private tech companies coordinate to defend and manage online political content, which directly impacts the security and integrity of U.S. voting systems.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the main goal of this hearing?
To examine how the federal government and private companies are working together to protect and address foreign influence in political discourse.
Who testified at this hearing?
Officials from , the Department of Justice, the Election Assistance Commission, the Federal Election Commission, the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, and representatives from Facebook, Twitter, and Google.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Sponsors

Show 4 more sponsors

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Public-Private Coordination

The hearing highlights a formal shift toward integrating private social media companies into the federal national security framework for election protection.

FacebookTwitterGoogleCISA

Connected Entities

personChristy McCormick“Chairwoman, U.S. Election Assistance Commission”Map →
personStephen F. Lynch“Chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security”Map →
personWilliam F. Galvin“Secretary of the Commonwealth, Massachusetts”Map →
personRichard Salgado“Director, Law Enforcement and Information Security, Google”Map →
personAdam Hickey“Deputy Assistant Attorney General, DOJ”Map →
personKevin Kane“Public Policy Manager, Twitter”Map →
personNathaniel Gleicher“Head of Cybersecurity Policy, Facebook”Map →
organizationSubcommittee on National Security“Committee conducting the hearing”Map →
personEllen Weintraub“Chair, Federal Election Commission”Map →
personChristopher Krebs“Director of CISA, Department of Homeland Security”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance80
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy40
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment20
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz30
    Current news / social attention level

Publisher tools

Share or embed this record

POLISCOPE publisher tools

Share or embed this record