The order establishes serious penalties for organizations or individuals planning this type of intervention
U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order yesterday that establishes a federal action plan in the event of foreign interference in an American election, including sanctions that may be imposed on organizations and individuals in the foreign, as reported by specialists in ethical hacking.
Trump has made this decision possibly in response to a broad criticism and rejection of Russian intervention in the election of 2016, as president’s critics believe that the Trump administration had not issued any pronouncements or condemns possible interventions in the future.
This new executive order instructs the Director of National Intelligence, along with experts in ethical hacking, to evaluate any intelligence report suggesting that a foreign agent has tried to influence the outcome of an election, either by altering the number of votes, targeting the electoral infrastructure or disseminating disinformation. The attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security would then review this assessment and emit their own reports.
In response to these assessments, the Treasury secretary could impose penalties on offenders, as established by the executive order. He and the Secretary of State may also recommend to the President whether additional penalties are justified, including punitive measures against “the largest licensed or domiciled commercial entities in a country whose government authorized, directed, sponsored or supported the electoral interference”.
Sanctions could include blocking financial transactions, export license restrictions, U.S. financial institution loan bans, expulsion of corporate offices located on American territory, and more.
Specialists in ethical hacking from the International Institute of Cyber Security estimate that these measures can discourage any intention of foreign intervention in the U.S. elections, unlike the 2016, election in which Russians deployed a massive campaign of fake news aimed at damaging the Democratic Party’s structure.
