Google sister company Jigsaw offers free security tools to election groups

[March 21, 2017]  By Eric Auchard and Toby Sterling

FRANKFURT/AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Google and its sister company Jigsaw, are stepping up efforts to help keep elections free of online interference after helping to defend one of two important voter information websites that came under cyber attack during last week's Dutch national election.

A Google search page is seen through a magnifying glass in this photo illustration taken in Berlin, August 11, 2015. REUTERS/Pawel Kopczynski/Files

As campaigns have moved online over the past decade, so too have online attacks escalated against civic institutions -- from candidates, parties, activist volunteers, election monitors and independent media - that are vital to fair elections.

Google parent Alphabet Inc's Jigsaw subsidiary, which supplies security tools to civic groups, is working with Google to safeguard elections globally.

A Jigsaw spokesman said on Tuesday that it plans to offer a free suite of security tools called Protect Your Election for upcoming national votes in France, South Korea and Germany, then subsequent elections as they occur.

(Editing by David Goodman)

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