Alex Stamos served as chief security officer
at Facebook for three years before joining
Stanford University, where he studies
internet security, including systems related to
conducting elections.
He warns that there’s little the federal
government can do now for the 2020 elections.
And he laments the arrival of “disinformation as
a service,” where companies are hired to help
spread misinformation on social media.
Stamos spoke recently with Media. Remarks
have been edited for clarity and brevity.
Q: Can you summarize the chilling scenario you
recently penned on how the 2020 presidential
elections might be thrown into turmoil?
A: Most people focus on specific threats: a
technical disruption of voting, social mediaCYBERSECURITY WHIZ: COMBINED THREATS ENDANGER 2020 VOTE
Image: Eric Risberg