ELECTORAL CYBERCRIME : ESSENCE AND BASIC FORMS

Authors: Nino Bochoidze
Affiliation: Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University ( Bachelor in Political Science – Junior )

Category:

Keywords: Electoral Cybercrime, Elections, National Security, Politics, Cyber-attacks
ABSTRACT. The issue of international terrorism is especially relevant in the 21st century. The problem has no borders and it is a major challenge for the whole world, which can be fought only through joint efforts. One of the forms of terrorism can be considered a new problem of the "technological nation" - cybercrime. Nowadays, The Internet is the fastest growing technology and at the same time one of the most dangerous inventions that mankind has. It is difficult to define the definition of cybercrime precisely, given its complex structure and variety of forms. To put it broadly, cybercrime is all types of criminal offenses committed using, or in relation to, communication or information technology. There is a wide range of cybercrime around us and every day we become victims of very frequent internet attacks, which is a significant problem for the modern "digital society". One of the sub-types of cybercrime is electoral cybercrime. The research topic I have chosen is an even bigger challenge for the world than it seems. Individual states are actively pursuing and fighting against cyber and internet crime- the radical form of which is electoral cybercrime. Basically from the etymological understanding of the word, it is clear that its definition is not a puzzle, although electoral cybercrime and its effective fight against its forms are really difficult. For countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and advanced European states, the problem of cybersecurity has arisen much earlier than in developing countries like Georgia. Electoral cybercrime hinders democratic development, free and fair elections, and undermines national security. The fact that electoral cybercrime is a very common form today is evidenced by the example of both foreign (US e-elections) and Georgia.

References:

1.Anderson,K, (29 sep,2008) „How do we tackle political cyber-crime?“ https://www.computerweekly.com/opinion/How-do-we-tackle-political-cyber-crime?fbclid=IwAR1TO7nq7A-lKv_-7SQJzzpvYjiw1cEguaykCTudVWxHps7hQkAJdiDFkMk
2.Cimpanu, C. (March 30,2020 -- 02:07 GMT (03:07 BST) “Personal details for the entire country of Georgia published online” https://www.zdnet.com/article/personal-details-for-the-entire-country-of-georgia-published-online/
3.National Election Defense Coalition (June 21,2017) “Election Integrity Open Letter to Congress,” https://www.electiondefense.org/election-integrity-expert-letter
4.Seen (29 April,2020) “Cyber threats and elections: understanding the security risk”. https://vision.fireeye.com/editions/06/06-cyber-threats-and-elections.html?fbclid=IwAR1j9LtiMEtFkCZcAOJqbGu62IzyLY_mqLTI5Y-kvAl4JtLbaKTq0cNF5Vc#
5. Jakobsson, M. and Ramzan, Z. (Apr 23,2008) “Cybercrime and Politics: The Dangers of the Internet in Elections” https://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=1190114&ranMID=24808&fbclid=IwAR0tnKJGmtgqfK5AeoT1L892KBPN2SGCA_yhndhK7SO0nIQjCggGvkWPaFQ
6.Rafter,D. (Seen – may 3,2020) “2020 election cybersecurity: Protecting U.S. elections against cybercrime” https://us.norton.com/internetsecurity-emerging-threats-2020-election-cybersecurity.html?fbclid=IwAR0HoTAl4coxa8nmkX8ts9cbuoIhugSKiSxDmhRPffcPZHPWm4oImbk107Q
7.Fidler, D.P (2016) “The U.S. Election Hacks, Cybersecurity, and International Law” DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/aju.2017.5
8. Ivanova, A.X. (September,2019) “Online voting as an element of cybersecurity of megacities” https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339143499_Online_voting_as_an_element_of_cybersecurity_of_megacities?fbclid=IwAR0Yq9SaLkOWcP4fJdhgL6mau9c_GO5_C-it-5dkTrTYkoozEKXttiRSiLY
Morris, D. Baccio, M. Klein,D. Nixon. A. (April 28,2020) “Cyber Threats to Elections” Webinar https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/574/387719/cyber-threats-to-elections?fbclid=IwAR2YFZ2dCFoeq5Phfmu4c1MNV9rB03KyOMLsK--cx2A1dlVTrsd1X6-_fTo
10.Thomas,D. (October 26,2017) “Protecting elections from cyberattacks” https://www.raconteur.net/technology/protecting-elections-from-cyberattacks
11. Staak.S.V. and Wolf,P. (seen April 30,2020) “Cybersecurity in Elections” (Models of Interagency Collaboration) https://www.idea.int/sites/default/files/publications/cybersecurity-in-elections-models-of-interagency-collaboration.pdf?fbclid=IwAR3EPnVTRkIm6rwncCm1uL-llPeHqmXYPgRpE6OYa1EJaAisWQcP7RQXb_s
12.Seen (May 2,2020) National Counterintelligence and Security Centre- “Foreign Threats to U.S. elections ,election security information needs” https://www.odni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/DNI_NCSC_Elections_Brochure_Final.pdf
13.Agawu, E. A. (April 3, 2018) “How to Think About Election Cybersecurity: A Guide for Policymakers.” https://www.newamerica.org/cybersecurity-initiative/policy-papers/how-to-think-about-election-cybersecurity/
14.Hawkins, D. (June 5, 2018) “The Cybersecurity 202: Voters’ Distrust of Election Security Is Just as Powerful as an Actual Hack, Officials Worry”- Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/the-cybersecurity-202/2018/06/05/the-cybersecurity-202-voters-distrust-of-election-security-is-just-as-powerful-as-an-actual-hack-officials-worry/5b1567091b326b08e883912f/%3futm_term%3d.7a03e7805651