Ahead of the midterm elections, Google is trying to keep campaign workers and candidates safe online. The company introduced an initiative Tuesday called Campaign Security Project, which will connect high-risk users like election workers and journalists with resources to better protect themselves online.
Google partnered with a group of political organizations including Collective Future, Women’s Public Leadership Network and LGBTQ Victory Institute to help train candidates and campaign workers on ways to stay safer online. A Google spokesperson said the organizations aim to educate "as many campaign and election-related workers as possible" through the project. Google did not say how much it's spending on the initiative.
The Campaign Security Project builds off of Google’s past programs on online election safety. Last year, the company helped roll out a Cybersecurity for State Leaders program, which has educated over 8,000 election officials on ways to fend off digital attacks. Google has also worked with the nonprofit Defending Digital Campaigns to give federal campaigns free access to a two-factor authentication system.
Google also announced a $5 million partnership with Khan Academy to build free online lessons on internet safety. In an announcement, the company cited a 110% spike in searches for “how to stop identity theft” as part of the reason for the collaboration. “We’re delighted to deepen our relationship with Google and grateful for their continued support of our bold mission,” Khan Academy founder Sal Khan said in an announcement. “Google’s generous contribution will allow us to create new lessons about online safety that are available for free.”
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the percentage increase in identity theft searches. This story was updated on Feb. 9, 2022.