Canada is Heading into a Federal Election – Here’s How Microsoft Helps Protect Canadian Voters and Election Integrity 

As Canada enters into a federal election, ensuring the security and integrity of democratic processes remains a critical priority. While Canada conducts elections using paper ballots, political campaigns, candidates, and election officials increasingly rely on digital tools and platforms, introducing new considerations for cybersecurity. These evolving challenges require thoughtful, proactive approaches to help protect voters, support campaign security, and safeguard democratic institutions. 

We ground Microsoft’s Election Protection Commitments in a set of principles to help safeguard voters, candidates and campaigns, and election authorities worldwide. These principles are: 

• Voters have a right to transparent  information regarding elections. 

• Candidates should be able to assert when content originates from their campaign and have recourse when their likeness or content is distorted by AI for the purpose of deceiving the public during the course of an election. 

• Political campaigns should protect themselves from cyber threats and be able to navigate AI with access to affordable and easily deployed tools, trainings, and support. 

• Election authorities should be able to ensure a secure and resilient election process and have access to tools and services that enable this process.

In Canada, Microsoft has been working together with political parties across the spectrum, government, civil society organizations and election authorities to secure the integrity of Canadian elections. By offering advanced cybersecurity tools, proactive threat intelligence, and training programs, Microsoft helps Canada’s democratic institutions remain resilient. 

Sharing Critical Threat Intelligence 
Foreign interference through cyberattacks and influence campaigns remains a significant concern for democracies worldwide, and Canada is no exception. Microsoft’s Threat Assessment Center (MTAC) continuously analyzes global election threats, providing valuable insights into the evolving tactics employed by nation-state actors. MTAC’s global election security reports’ insights help election officials worldwide better anticipate and respond to emerging threats. 

Microsoft remains committed to sharing relevant threat intelligence with Canadian leaders, enabling them to understand and respond effectively to cybersecurity challenges. This proactive sharing strengthens Canada’s preparedness and helps mitigate potential interference. 

Protecting Campaigns and Political Institutions 
Political campaigns, parties, and candidates remain prime targets for sophisticated phishing attacks, unauthorized access, and disruptive hacks. These threats could severely compromise election integrity through the stealing of confidential information, manipulation of communications, or disruption of campaign activities during critical moments. To address these risks, Microsoft provides specialized cybersecurity solutions like AccountGuard, which offers Canadian political organizations advanced threat detection, early warning alerts, and proactive security support. AccountGuard helps stakeholders rapidly identify and respond to potential cyber incidents. 

Microsoft also ensures that campaign communications remain secure through Microsoft 365 for Campaigns. This platform offers enterprise-grade security capabilities, including multi-factor authentication, data encryption, and secure collaboration tools designed specifically for political campaigns.  

Additionally, Microsoft conducts targeted cybersecurity training and workshops for political parties and campaign staff, enhancing their preparedness and ability to mitigate threats. These combined efforts equip Canadian political organizations with the tools, knowledge, and confidence to proactively defend against cyber threats and protect democratic processes. 

Elections Communications Hub  
To help election administration officials and political parties address urgent security issues, we launched our Elections Communications Hub, a new service that enables them to communicate their concerns with us and get prioritized support. The service supports democratic governments around the world as they build secure and resilient election processes and is available for Microsoft customers who are part of Elections Management Bodies (EMBs) at the national or local/province levels, or who work for national or provincial political parties that use our products.  

Combating  AI-Generated Threats 
To ensure that Canadians voters have access to authoritative election information on Bing, Microsoft will launch “How to Vote” resources in Bing search engine in English and French.  

With raised concerns about AI-generated disinformation, including realistic deepfake videos and manipulated images designed to deceive and influence voters, Microsoft has developed technologies such as Prompt Shield, designed to detect and prevent the misuse of generative AI in creating deceptive election-related content. 

Beyond technology, Microsoft actively engages Canadians in recognizing disinformation through educational initiatives like the Real or Not? Quiz, equipping the public with skills to critically assess and respond to fake or misleading digital media. Additionally, Microsoft advocates for updated legislation and supports innovations in media provenance and watermarking technology to help combat AI-driven disinformation more effectively. 

Building Stronger Partnerships for Election Security 
Effective election security requires more than technology—it requires strong partnerships. Microsoft actively collaborates with Canadian election officials and stakeholders to enhance cybersecurity preparedness. Microsoft Canada serves on the advisory board of the Canada Vote Summit, providing strategic guidance on issues such as disinformation and the impact of AI on electoral processes. 

A Continued Commitment to Canada’s Democracy 
Election security is an ongoing endeavor that requires constant vigilance, collaboration, and adaptability to new challenges. Microsoft remains dedicated to protecting Canada’s democratic processes through sustained partnerships, cutting-edge cybersecurity innovations, and strategic intelligence sharing. 

Ultimately, safeguarding Canadian democracy depends upon proactive measures taken today. Microsoft will continue providing Canadian election stakeholders with the necessary tools, intelligence, and support to uphold secure, transparent, and trustworthy elections, now and for years to come.