The Catholic Diocese of Saginaw, Michigan, is calling attention to cyber attacks that have disrupted registration for an upcoming pro-life rally. The rally, to be held on November 6, was organized in order to pray for the defeat of Proposal 3, a ballot measure that could lead to unrestricted abortion access in the state.
Aleteia previously reported on Michigan's Proposal 3, which is similar to measures that have arisen in other states. Critics of Proposal 3 argue that the wording is too vague and leaves open the possibility of abortion up until the time of birth.
According to the diocese, organizers did not expect a cyber attack to be aimed at their peaceful rally. Soon after opening registration for the event, however, they began to notice that many of the people signing up were doing so from out-of-state domains. The most common origins for these bogus registrations were Portland, Boston, Chicago, and New York.
Lori Becker, coordinator of Diocesan Outreach for the Diocese of Saginaw, explained that they only opened registration in the first place so they could get an idea of how many people would be there. She told the diocese:
“A few days ago, we realized that many of our registrations were fake and coming from outside of Michigan. This caused our event to 'sell out' online, making it difficult for sincerely interested people to register.”
It took them a while to notice that their registration was under siege, because many of the fake registrations came from disguised addresses. Some were even made to look as though they came from pro-life organizations, but others could be tracked back to domains associated with abortion clinics.
Bishop Robert Gruss of the Saginaw Diocese noted interference from out-of-state actors could potentially influence the state constitution of Michigan. He pointed to a Detroit News report that highlighted large sums of money coming from outside the state which has supported the passage of Proposal 3:
“Just last week, The Detroit News reported that more than $20 million in funding for Proposal 3 came from six people and/or organizations located in New York, California and Washington, D.C.,” Bishop Gruss commented.
Despite the cyber-attacks, the Diocese of Saginaw is prepared to go on with its rally, “Fight Like Heaven,” on November 6. Visit the diocese website to learn more about the event.
