Leaked Russian Interference Report Raises Questions About Brexit, UK Election Security

A report from the U.K. Parliament's intelligence committee concludes that "Russian interference may have had an impact on the Brexit referendum," reports the Times of London, adding that "the effect was 'unquantifiable.'"

The Associated Press reports:
The committee said British intelligence services failed to devote enough resources to counter the threat and highlighted the impact of articles posted by Russian new sites that were widely disseminated on social media, the newspaper reported... [Conservative Prime Minister Boris] Johnson's government has said it needs more time to review the security implications of the report, but it will be released after the election. Critics have alleged the report is being withheld because it shows Russians have made large donations to the Conservative Party, which is seeking to win a majority that would allow Johnson to push his Brexit deal through Parliament....

The House of Commons Intelligence and Security Committee began its investigation following allegations of Russian interference in both the 2016 U.S. election and the Brexit referendum earlier that year. The committee sent its report to Johnson for review on Oct. 17, saying it expected to "publish the report imminently." Committee Chairman Dominic Grieve has criticized Johnson's government for failing to release the document amid media reports it has already been cleared by British security services.

The debate comes amid growing concerns about the security of elections fought in an increasingly digital world. Britain's election laws were written for a time when campaigns pushed mass-produced leaflets through mail slots, rather than flooding Facebook and Twitter accounts with individually targeted messages.