Pineapple or pepperoni? Homeland Security's pizza analogy hopes to educate the public on foreign interference of elections

Because "responding to foreign interference requires a whole of society approach," the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has published resources that help educate the public on ways hackers can impact U.S. elections.

These include primers on how foreign interference works (using the relatable example, "American Opinion is Split: Does Pineapple Belong on Pizza?"), associated terms, and the intricate nuances of social media bots.

DHS defines foreign interference as:

Malign actions taken by foreign governments or foreign actors designed to sow discord, manipulate public discourse, discredit the electoral system, bias the development of policy, or disrupt markets for the purpose of undermining the interests of the United States and its allies.

The initiative is part of Homeland Security's #Protect2020 campaign to "enhance the security and resilience of election infrastructure, and to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the free and fair elections foundational to the American way of life."