Company
Date Published
July 5, 2024
Author
João Tomé
Word count
1111
Language
English
Hacker News points
63

Summary

The UK's 2024 general election saw a significant drop in internet traffic during afternoon and evening hours, with Northern Ireland experiencing the greatest impact (-10%). Traffic dipped across all UK countries after polling stations closed at 22:00. Labour Party outperformed the Conservative Party on election day, with Labour's DNS traffic spiking by 866%. Official government and election-related websites saw a 172% increase in DNS traffic on election morning. News sites and microblogging social media platforms experienced significant increases in usage after polling stations closed at 22:00, with news outlets' DNS traffic surging by 74%. Cyberattacks targeting political parties participating in the elections were also observed, highlighting this election year as marked by cyberattacks aimed at influencing politically related websites.