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n late July, Donald Trump questioned on

Twitter whether the US should delay the

presidential election “until people can

properly, securely and safely vote.”

Were Trump not President of the United States,

the tweet might stand as just another example of

the misinformation security experts have warned

about in the run-up to Nov. 3. To be clear, the US

president does not have the authority to change

the date of the election (that’s up to Congress),

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matter what he tweets. But the issue isn’t the

accuracy of what Trump is saying. It’s that his

saying it will create confusion going into Election

Day and will surely make the job of foreign trolls

that much easier.

OLD TRICK, NEW TWEETS

As far as election meddling goes, sending out

incorrect notices about the day or location of an

election is perhaps the oldest trick in the book. A

quick Google search produces countless stories

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the wrong date or polling site. Sometimes it’s an

honest mistake, but deliberate attempts at voter

suppression are real.

The Election Meddling Is

Coming From Inside the

(White) House

COMMENTARY

Sascha Segan is the

lead mobile analyst

for PC Magazine. His

commentary has

also appeared on Fox

News, CNBC, CNN, and

various radio stations

and newspapers

around the world.

PC Magazine Senior

Software Analyst Max

Eddy has also written

for publications such

as International Digital

Times, International

Science Times, and

The Mary Sue.