| A group of intelligence officials confers about when to alert the public to foreign meddling.  Illustration by Ben Wiseman This Presidential race is a prime opportunity for foreign meddling. Although the Trump campaign would have us believe that ballot boxes are being ambushed, attacks on the mechanics of vote counting are only a slight risk. The real election-interference threat lies with hacks and leaks, bots and trolls, hidden payments, A.I. deepfakes, and targeted attack ads—coming from places such as Iran, Russia, and China. In rigorous reporting for this week’s issue, David D. Kirkpatrick spoke with intelligence officials, including those at the Foreign Malign Influence Center, to assess the danger of adversaries using these tactics to twist public opinion, discredit the vote, and sway its outcome. In an election that may hinge on tens of thousands of votes across a handful of states, almost any illicit advantage could arguably decide the outcome and gin up doubt about the results. Those tasked with protecting the Presidential election from manipulation by foreign powers must find ways to alert the public when harm is being done—without disclosing their sources and methods. How worried should we be about the threat, and what can individual voters do to tell fact from fiction? Support The New Yorker’s award-winning journalism. Subscribe today » | 
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