U.S. officials say Russia relied on unsuspecting Americans to spread election misinformation
Washington: The Kremlin is turning to unsuspecting Americans and professional PR firms in Russia to spread disinformation about the US presidential race, top intelligence officials said on Monday, detailing the latest effort by US adversaries to shape public opinion ahead of the 2024 election.
The warning comes after weeks of upheaval in US politics that have forced Russia, Iran and China to revise some details of their propaganda playbook. What hasn't changed, intelligence officials said, is the determination of these nations to seed the Internet with false and inflammatory claims about American democracy to undermine confidence in elections.
“The American public should be aware that content they read online — especially on social media — may be foreign propaganda, even if it appears to come from fellow Americans or originate in the United States,” an official from the director's office said. of National Intelligence, who spoke to reporters on the condition of anonymity under rules set by the director's office.
While there are signs that Iran is expanding its efforts and that China is moving cautiously in 2024, Russia poses the biggest threat when it comes to Iran's election rigging, officials said.
Kremlin-linked groups are increasingly recruiting marketing and communications firms based inside Russia to outsource digital propaganda creation while also covering their tracks, officials said in a briefing with reporters.
Two such firms were the subject of new US sanctions announced in March. Authorities say two Russian companies created fake websites and social media profiles to spread Kremlin disinformation.
Disinformation can focus on candidates or polls, or on issues that are already debated in the US, such as immigration, crime or the war in Gaza.
The ultimate goal, however, is to get Americans to spread Russian disinformation without questioning its origins. People are more likely to trust and repost information from domestic sources, officials said. Fake websites designed to mimic US news outlets and AI-generated social media profiles are just two ways.
In some cases, Americans and American tech companies and media outlets have willingly amplified and parroted the Kremlin's messages.
“Foreign influence actors are getting better at hiding their hand and getting Americans to do it,” said the official, who spoke to FBI and Department of Homeland Security officials.
Sen. Mark Warner, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said last month that there is concern that the U.S. may be more vulnerable to foreign distortions this year than before the 2020 election. On Monday, he said warnings from intelligence officials showed the US election was “bullshit by bad actors around the world”.
“This underscores, disturbingly, the extent to which foreign actors — and Russia in particular — rely on both unwitting and discerning Americans to promote foreign-affiliated narratives in the United States,” Warner, a Virginia Democrat, said in a statement.
In one measure of the threat, officials tracking foreign malfeasance say they have issued twice as many warnings in the 2024 election cycle as in the 2022 cycle to political candidates, government leaders, election offices and others targeted by foreign groups.
Officials would not disclose how many warnings were issued or who received them, but the significant increase reflects increased interest by opponents in the US presidential race and the government's efforts to improve identification and warning of such threats.
Warnings are given so targets can take steps to protect themselves and set the record straight if necessary.
Russia and other countries are also moving quickly to take advantage of recent developments in the presidential race, including the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden's decision to drop out of the race in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris.
After the attack on Trump, for example, Russian disinformation agencies quickly expanded claims that Democratic rhetoric led to the shooting, or even baseless conspiracy theories suggesting that Biden or the Ukrainian government orchestrated the effort.
“These pro-Russian voices sought to link the assassination attempt to Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine,” concluded the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab, which tracks Russian disinformation.
Intelligence officials have determined in the past that Russian propaganda was designed to support Trump, and officials said Monday that they have not changed that assessment.
Eliminating support for Ukraine remains a top objective of Russian destabilization, and Trump has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin in the past and is seen as less supportive of NATO.
While China waged an extensive disinformation campaign ahead of Taiwan's recent election, the nation has been more cautious when it comes to the U.S. Beijing could use disinformation to target congressional races or other down-ballot contests in which a candidate has expressed strong views on China. But China is not expected to try to influence the presidential race, officials said Monday.
Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng said on Monday that his government has no intention of interfering in American politics.
However, Iran has adopted a more aggressive posture. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haynes said earlier this month that Iran's government has covertly supported U.S. protests over Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza. Iran-linked groups have posed as activists online, encouraged protests and funded some protest groups, Haynes said.
Iran opposes candidates likely to escalate tensions with Tehran, officials said. That description fits Trump, whose administration ended the nuclear deal with Iran, reimposed sanctions and ordered the assassination of a top Iranian general.
Messages left with Russian and Iranian government representatives were not immediately returned Monday.
