Tuesday, May 14

Eurovision: MP seeks assurances contest voting can be shielded from Russian threats

Threats to voting on the Eurovision tune contest in Liverpool from Russian brokers or cyber assaults can be handled by the UK’s safety consultants, MPs have been assured.

MPs within the Commons flagged considerations to the federal government that Russia may search to disrupt the voting throughout the contest, which is considered globally by greater than 160 million individuals.

This 12 months’s contest can be held in Liverpool, after organisers deemed it unsafe to carry it in Ukraine, final 12 months’s winners, which is presently at struggle with Russia.

Police in Italy final 12 months claimed Russia had tried to intrude with the voting throughout the first semi-final of the 2022 contest, however it was thwarted by its cyber-security groups.

Conservative MP for Lichfield, Michael Fabricant, requested within the House of Commons: “Last 12 months throughout the Eurovision Song Contest, Russian brokers tried to intrude with the voting that was being made for Ukraine.

“This year, of course, we’re hosting the Eurovision Song Contest.

“What is [the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology] doing to make sure that the integrity of the voting can be maintained?”

Paul Scully, a minister for technology and the digital economy, replied: “The authorities is at all times conscious there are a variety of potential threats to our techniques and our occasions.

“I’m not capable of focus on the small print however the National Cyber Security Centre are world consultants at understanding assaults and offering incident response for essentially the most critical of assaults.

“We want to make sure that all organisations are aware, so we can indeed keep that resilience in our voting process.”

Read extra on Eurovision:
On the bottom in Liverpool as EuroFestival transforms metropolis
King and Queen meet UK’s Eurovision hopeful Mae Muller
Stars heat up in entrance of UK crowd

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‘I wish to create one thing that issues’

The contest kicks off on Tuesday 9 May, when the primary semi-final will get underneath manner at Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena, with the grand closing on Saturday 13 May.

Mae Muller is the UK’s entrant for 2023, together with her catchy pop anthem I Wrote A Song, and can be hoping to beat the favourites of Sweden’s Loreen or Finland’s Kaarija to seize the trophy.

Content Source: information.sky.com