Facebook pledges funds to prevent election cyber attacks
Facebook has pledged to donate $1m to cybersecurity educational initiatives, as well as election security drives. The money will be used for “defensive” research, said Facebook's chief security officer Alex Stamos, as well as scholarships and programmes designed to extend the security workforce. Facebook has taken a position as the founding sponsor of the Defending Digital Democracy Project, run through Harvard University, in a bid to better protect democratic processes such as elections.
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Mike Nelson/Epa/REX/Shutterstock (8457750ao) Republican Presidential Candidate Rand Paul is Seen on a Messenger Screen in the Facebook Election Booth in the Spin Room As the Us Democratic Presidential Candidates Debate Nears at Wynn Las Vegas in Las Vegas Nevada Usa 13 October 2015 United States Las Vegas Usa Elections Democratic Debate - Oct 2015

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Mike Nelson/Epa/REX/Shutterstock (8457750ao) Republican Presidential Candidate Rand Paul is Seen on a Messenger Screen in the Facebook Election Booth in the Spin Room As the Us Democratic Presidential Candidates Debate Nears at Wynn Las Vegas in Las Vegas Nevada Usa 13 October 2015 United States Las Vegas Usa Elections Democratic Debate - Oct 2015 Credit: Mike Nelson/Epa/REX/Shutterstock

Less than a year after Mark Zuckerberg derided the idea that his social network might have any serious impact on the U.S. election, Facebook announced that it will donate money to cybersecurity education efforts as well as a new project to ensure election security.

Facebook's chief security officer, Alex Stamos, announced the new funding on Wednesday at Black Hat USA, the largest conference dedicated to cybersecurity.

Facebook will put $1 million toward funding "to encourage original defensive research," Stamos said in a blog post (opens in a new tab)accompanying his talk. The company will make additional donations for "scholarships and programs that help expand the diversity of the security workforce."

Facebook is also now the "founding sponsor" of the Defending Digital Democracy Project, which will operate at Harvard University to "better secure elections and other democratic processes through collaboration and information sharing."

Wednesday's announcement is only the most recent in a series of moves from Facebook that address a variety of the critiques hurled at the social network following the 2016 U.S. election. It's a stark reversal from when Zuckerberg called the notion that Facebook could influence the election a "crazy idea."(opens in a new tab) Since then, Facebook has taken a variety of steps to address misinformation on its platform.

Stamos pointed to two problems that he sees in the world of cybersecurity: A lack of focus on defense, and a lack of diversity.

"The security community needs more diverse people, backgrounds, and thought to live up to our potential," Stamos said in the blog post.