Campus Connection

Electronic voting systems critic to give presentation on campus

An outspoken critic of electronic voting systems will give a presentation at UW-La Crosse. Alexander Urbelis, a lawyer and hacker will address the politically, technically and legally charged issue of whether the U.S. is doing enough to protect the sanctity of the electoral process. He will speak from 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 26, in 1400 Centennial Hall, 308 N. 16^th St. In the context of the recent Cambridge Analytica-Facebook fiasco and what appears to be state action and federal inaction to secure voting processes, Urbelis will detail vulnerabilities inherent to voting systems. He will also present actionable threat intelligence data of relevance to state and local authorities charged with securing the ballot. In his presentation, Urbelis will examine the role that academics, security professionals, hackers, and lawyers play in the election ecosystem – and assess whether anything is being done, or can be done, to better secure the vote. Alexander Urbelis (@aurbelis) is a partner in the Blackstone Law Group LLP in New York. He is an attorney who focuses on information security, technology-related law and investigations, and has also been part of the infosec community for more than 20 years. Urbelis is a frequent media commentator on TV and radio on privacy and security, and his writing has appeared on CNN, The Intercept, and even 2600 Magazine – The Hacker Quarterly. Over the years, Urbelis has worked for the U.S. Army, Dartmouth College's Institute for Security Technology Studies (a federally funded cybersecurity and counterterrorism research center), the Central Intelligence Agency and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. He has also been with the international law firm of Steptoe & Johnson, and information security counsel and Chief Compliance Officer of one of the world's largest luxury conglomerates, Richemont, whose holdings include brands such as Cartier, Piaget, Montblanc, IWC, and many others. Urbelis holds a bachelor’s in philosophy from Stony Brook University, a jurist’s degree from Vermont Law School, and a Bachelor of Civil Law from New College, Oxford University.   If you go— Who:  Alexander Urbelis, a lawyer, hacker and outspoken critic of electronic voting systems What: Presentation on whether the U.S. is doing enough to protect the electoral process. When: 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 26 Where: 1400 Centennial Hall, UW-La Crosse, 308 N. 16^th St.          Admission: Free