Eurovision: MP seeks assurances contest voting can be protected against 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 issues to the federal government that Russia may search to disrupt the voting through the contest, which is considered globally by greater than 160 million folks.

This yr’s contest will be held in Liverpool, after organisers deemed it unsafe to carry it in Ukraine, final yr’s winners, which is presently at war with Russia.

Police in Italy final yr claimed Russia had tried to intervene with the voting through the first semi-final of the 2022 contest, but it surely was thwarted by its cyber-security groups.

Conservative MP for Lichfield, Michael Fabricant, requested within the House of Commons: “Last yr through the Eurovision Song Contest, Russian brokers tried to intervene 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 all the time conscious there are a selection of potential threats to our techniques and our occasions.

“I’m not in a position to talk about the main points however the National Cyber Security Centre are world consultants at understanding assaults and offering incident response for probably the most severe of assaults.

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

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The contest kicks off on Tuesday 9 May, when the primary semi-final will get below approach 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.