US officials say Russia is relying on unsuspecting Americans to spread election disinformation
WASHINGTON: The Kremlin is using unsolicited Americans and commercial PR firms in Russia to spread disinformation about the US presidential race, top intelligence officials said Monday, detailing the latest effort by America's adversaries to shape public opinion ahead of the 2024 election. turns
The warning follows a tumultuous few weeks in US politics that have forced Russia, Iran and China to rethink some of the details of their propaganda playbook. What hasn't changed, intelligence officials said, is the determination of these countries to use the Internet with false and incendiary claims about American democracy to undermine faith in elections.
“The American people need to be aware that content they read online — especially on social media — can be foreign advertising, even if it appears to be from fellow Americans or originate in the United States,” an official from the director's office said. National information that was explained to reporters on the condition of anonymity according to the rules set by the director's office.
Officials said Russia still poses the biggest threat in election disinformation, while there are signs Iran is expanding its efforts and China is moving cautiously around 2024.
Kremlin-linked groups are increasingly hiring Russia-based marketing and communications firms to outsource some of the work of creating digital ads as well as cover their tracks, officials said.
Two such companies were the subject of new US sanctions announced in March. Authorities say the two Russian companies created fake websites and social media profiles to spread disinformation about the Kremlin.
Disinformation can focus on candidates or voting, or issues that are already hot topics in the United States, such as immigration, crime, or the war in Gaza.
However, the ultimate goal is for Americans to spread Russian disinformation without questioning its origin. According to officials, people are more likely to trust and repost information they think comes from an inside source. Fake websites designed to mimic US news media and AI-generated social media profiles are just two methods.
In some cases, Americans and American tech companies and the media have willingly amplified and parroted the Kremlin's messages.
“Foreign influence actors have gotten better at hiding their hands and getting Americans to do it,” said the official, who spoke alongside officials from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security.
Sen. Mark Warner, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said last month that he is concerned that the United States may be more vulnerable to foreign disinformation this year than before the 2020 election. He said on Monday that the warning from intelligence officials showed that the US election was “in the eyes of bad actors around the world.”
“It also, troublingly, underscores the degree to which foreign actors — particularly Russia — rely on unwitting and knowing Americans to promote foreign-aligned narratives in the United States,” Warner, a Virginia Democrat, said in a statement.
In one measure of the threat, officials who track foreign disinformation say that so far in the 2024 election cycle, there have been twice as many warnings to political candidates, government leaders, election offices and others targeted by foreign groups. They have been placed.
Officials would not say how many warnings were issued or who received them, but said the significant increase reflects the intense interest America's adversaries have in the presidential race, as well as improved government efforts to identify and warn against to such threats.
Warnings are given so targets can take steps to protect themselves and, if necessary, set the record straight.
Russia and other countries have also been quick to take advantage of some recent developments in the presidential race, including the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden's decision to withdraw from the race in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris. President
For example, after the attack on Trump, Russian disinformation agencies quickly promoted claims that Democratic rhetoric led to the shooting, or even baseless conspiracy theories that Biden or the Ukrainian government orchestrated the effort.
The Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab, which tracks Russian disinformation, concluded: “These pro-Russian voices sought to link the assassination attempt with Russia's continued war against Ukraine.
Intelligence officials have determined in the past that Russian propaganda appears designed to support Trump, and officials said Monday that they have not changed that assessment.
Eliminating support for Ukraine remains a major goal of Russian disinformation, and Trump has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin in the past and appeared less supportive of NATO.
While China launched a massive disinformation campaign ahead of Taiwan's recent election, it has been more cautious about the United States. But China is not expected to try to influence the presidential race, officials said Monday.
Xi Feng, the Chinese ambassador to the US, said on Monday that his government does not intend to interfere in US politics.
Iran has adopted a more aggressive stance. Director of National Intelligence April Haynes said earlier this month that the Iranian government has secretly supported US protests over Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza. Haynes said Iran-linked groups have posed as online activists, encouraged protests and provided financial support to some protest groups.
Iran opposes candidates who are likely to increase tensions with Tehran, officials said. That description fits Trump, whose administration ended the Iran nuclear deal, reimposed sanctions and ordered the killing of a top Iranian general.
Messages left with representatives of the Russian and Iranian governments were not immediately returned Monday.
