Cybersecurity has not been a major topic of discussion during presidential debates so far. As voter awareness increases as a result of business-crippling data breaches like the Ashley Madison hack, however, that might just change very soon.
In a recent study sponsored by data security company PKWARE and conducted by Wakefield Research, 64 percent of a sample of registered U.S. voters said they believe a 2016 presidential campaign will be hacked. With donors’ names and financial information, as well as other confidential data, a campaign database is a gold mine for hackers.
When asked which candidate is most qualified to protect the U.S. from cybercrime, 42 percent of respondents named Hillary Clinton (her email controversy notwithstanding). Donald Trump was perceived as the second-most qualified with 24 percent, while Jeb Bush was ranked least qualified with 15 percent. Bush likely earned that position when, in an effort to be transparent, he released thousands of emails he had received while governor of Florida. Many of the messages contained the senders’ sensitive personal information.
Below, check out other interesting findings from the poll.
Red vs. Blue
The poll found that voters are split equally on which political party has the most effective policies to protect personal information: 38 percent of voters said Democrats, while 36 percent of voters gave it to Republicans. More than half of registered millennials said they believe Democrats have better solutions for protecting information.
Voters willing to sacrifice privacy
When it comes sacrificing privacy in the name of national security, a surprising 56 percent of registered voters said they are willing to allow the government to comb their texts, calls, emails, and browsing history in the name of preventing a terrorist attack.
Cyberwarfare
When asked which country would be the most effective power in a cyberwar, 51 percent of respondents said China, while 30 percent say the U.S. Russia ranked third with 13 percent.
Source: Inc.