ERIC Election Records Accessible from China (China)

Georgia’s Secretary of State participated in the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), which transmits voter Personally Identifiable Information (PII) – including full names, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, dates of birth, and voting histories – to multiple third-party organizations. Civil litigation, Bernegger v. Electronic Registration Information Center, Inc., Waupaca County, WI, No. 2023CV000157, disclosed that ERIC’s transmissions included an entity – 7oo.com – with IP addresses traceable to Beijing and Hong Kong, China. The alleged owner, Peter Choo, is identified as Risk and Compliance Manager at Facebook. If verified, the transmission of Georgia voter PII to entities under the direction or control of the Chinese government would constitute a violation of E.O. 13873, E.O. 14034, and potentially FARA (22 U.S.C. § 611) if ERIC or CEIR principals were acting on behalf of foreign principals. This allegation is particularly significant given the concurrent receipt by Georgia’s Secretary of State of $5.6 million in CTCL/CEIR (Zuckerberg-linked) funds, creating a potential data-for-funding nexus. These allegations are based on civil litigation records, have not been independently verified from primary sources, and require forensic authentication before being presented to a grand jury.