NEWSLANC EDITOR: The NYT could use better editors. It took seven paragraphs and a jump from the lede article on page one to page twenty before the article said anything consequential. Nevertheless it is worthy of reading. And by the way, when only used for informational purposes, Russian spying on the USA probably does more good than harm. They can see how little they have to worry about. Also us on them.
NEW YORK TIMES: …But in a talk on Friday evening at the Aspen Security Forum, an annual gathering that draws many of the nation’s top intelligence and military officials, John O. Brennan, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, made clear that while spying on each other’s political institutions is fair game, making data public — in true or altered form — to influence an election is a new level of malicious activity, far different from ordinary spy vs. spy maneuvers.
“When it is determined who is responsible for this,” Mr. Brennan said, choosing his words carefully to avoid any direct implication of Russia, there “will be discussions at the highest levels of government about what the right course of action will be. Obviously interference in the U.S. election process is a very, very serious matter.”…
The cost of doing nothing could be high. As the United States and other nations move to more electronic voting systems, the opportunities for mischief rise. Imagine, for example, a vote as close as the 2000 presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore, but with accusations about impossible-to-trace foreign manipulation of the ballots or the vote count, leaving Americans wondering about the validity of the outcome… (more)
