Vatican security for conclave ‘sets a gold standard’ for organizations, says expert

The Vatican’s approach to security protocols for the papal conclave “sets a gold standard for organizations handling sensitive decisions,” security expert and author Theresa Payton told OSV News.

The cardinal electors entered the Sistine Chapel for the conclave May 7, and remain in seclusion throughout the papal election.

Ensuring that ancient process remains free of external influence and leaks (as well as safe from potential attacks) is even more challenging in a hyperconnected world — but the Vatican’s approach “offers a blueprint for protecting privacy,” said Payton, the first female chief information officer for the White House under President George W. Bush.

She noted the Vatican has taken “extraordinary measures” that combine several key technological, legal and physical precautions.

Along with sequestering the cardinal electors and support staff — all under oath, upon pain of excommunication — in the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican guesthouse, Vatican security officials are “doing something I have long told organizations to do — no cellphones,” said Payton, CEO and chief adviser of the North Carolina-based cybersecurity security firm Fortalice. “We followed this practice often at the White House and we deploy this practice at my firm and also in my personal life.”

Cardinals and staff will surrender their devices for safekeeping during the conclave proceedings, with mobile phone signals deactivated in the Vatican starting at 3 p.m. local time May 7.

Officials have said that deactivation will not impact cellphone service in St. Peter’s Square, but “checkpoints, metal detectors and anti-drone systems” will be in place there, “balancing public access with heightened protection,” said Payton.

The Vatican will also deploy military-grade jammers — which interfere with and overwhelm signals — around the Sistine Chapel.

Those jammers will “prevent electronic surveillance or communication, ensuring no external interference,” said Payton.

And those measures are being undertaken for good reason. Consumer privacy advocate Rob Shavell, founder of DeleteMe, has described the location data feature of mobile phones as a “skeleton key” to the user’s personal life — and the door remains unlocked even if the user turns off the feature.

Mobile phone user behavior also poses a security threat. In 2022, Americans spent an average of four and a half hours per day on their phones, and the habits of texting, emailing, surfing the internet and posting social media updates have become well ingrained in millions — making confidentiality and silence difficult to maintain.

A recent military data leak by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — who disclosed plans for a U.S. bombing attack on Houthi rebels in Yemen via Signal chat groups with both administration officials and personal contacts — dramatically highlighted such risks.

Payton said the Vatican is “taking bold steps to ensure the conclave’s confidentiality,” and underscoring a “dedication to preserving the sanctity of a process that has chosen Catholic leaders for centuries.”

“They are following my security motto: Verify and never trust,” she said. “‘No trust’ of technology of any kind ensures the highest levels of discretion, security, privacy and confidentiality.”

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