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Over the last couple of years, politics around the world have been going through some major change. For the first time in history, digital technology can have a real impact on an election, and it isn’t just in the voter’s booth. Nowadays, social media and other online tools are major influencers when it comes to this field, with people using them as their main sources of news during elections and other races. From the outside, this might not seem so bad, as it gives everyone access to information they need. But, of course, there has to be a dark side, and this post is going to be exploring it for you.

The single biggest issue with digital technology being mixed with politics is ignorance. A lot of people working in this field aren’t of a generation which has been exposed to computers for their entire lives, making it far too easy for them to miss key factors when using them. A great example of this comes in the form of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Without proper knowledge of the technology being used, her team illegally accessed government emails from a private server. While this blow didn’t see Mrs. Clinton in jail, it still had a huge impact on her success in 2016’s elections.

When you find ignorance in computing, you often find that things will be insecure and easy to access, as users simply don’t have the knowledge to keep their data safe. While most countries have mandatory training for users of government machines, this sort of learning is rarely taken seriously, and mistakes are still made. This sort of issue can lead to data theft or loss, and has even seen information accidently given away, in the past. Of course, though, there’s not much point in learning about security if computers go without updates, anyway, and a lot of businesses don’t go through this process.

Of course, the impact that technology has on the world of politics isn’t all bad. In fact, in a lot of countries, keeping up with this field is only possible thanks to the power of modern tech, as it provides information to everyone with a phone. Along with this benefit, though, a lot of people don’t realize that voting has gone digital in quite a few places. Using tools made by companies like Smartmatic, loads of places are now relying on the internet to handle their elections. Security issues aside, this sort of system offers the chance for people unable to vote to have their voices heard, while also making instant counting possible without having to involve a single human. A lot of people are seeing systems like these more and more often.

Hopefully, with all of this in mind, it should be nice and easy to understand the problems with technology in politics. While there are benefits to the way the world currently works, there are also plenty of negatives which have to be considered. Of course, though, you only have to worry if things start to get really bad.