U.S. Offers $10 Million Reward for Election Interference Tips

(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. State Department said Wednesday it's offering a $10 million reward for information on foreign cyber interference in American elections.

The bounty program came the same day the Department's Global Engagement Center highlighted the threat of online disinformation from Russia in a report. The U.S. government has determined that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election by hacking and releasing emails meant to damage Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

The initiative is part of the government's Rewards for Justice program, which has paid out more than $150 million to more than 100 people since 1984. The State Department said it's “offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the identification or location of any person who works with or for a foreign government for the purpose of interfering with U.S. elections through certain illegal cyber activities.”

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