(The Center Square) – The Washington State Legislature has enacted a bill forcing county election officials to provide unrestricted system access to a New York state-based nonprofit that aided government agencies in coordinated social media suppression efforts with other states regarding election and COVID-19 “misinformation.”
“Most troubling is that that it sits and operates outside of our firewall,” Grant County Director of Central Services Tom Gaines said at a Feb. 14 public hearing. “We have no idea what it does, except what they tell us. It may be benign but the way it’s (the bill) been framed….only validates our concerns.” Sponsored by Sen. Javier Valdez, D-Seattle, Senate Bill 5843 requires all 39 counties to use an operating system prescribed by the Secretary of State’s Office known as “Albert sensors” to detect cybersecurity threats. It cleared the Senate in a 46-3 vote on Feb. 2, but received more opposition during the House’s Feb.
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