According to senior US intelligence officials, Russia is contacting unknown commercial PR firms and American citizens to spread disinformation about the presidential election.
Points of attention
- Russia is actively using commercial PR firms and American citizens to spread disinformation about the US election.
- The threat of Russian interference in US elections has increased, prompting American officials to emphasize the importance of identifying and preventing disinformation campaigns.
- US intelligence highlights Russia as the greatest threat in spreading election-related disinformation, with signs of Iran's interference and cautious actions by China also noted.
- The growing number of warnings issued by officials about foreign disinformation threats reflects the increased interest of America's adversaries in the US presidential election.
- Senator Mark Warner expresses concerns over the vulnerability of the US to foreign disinformation during the 2024 election, indicating a heightened level of threat and government efforts to address it.
What is known about Russia's new strategy to interfere in the US elections
The American public needs to be aware that the 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, a senior official from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence warned. .
US intelligence says that Russia poses the greatest threat to the spread of disinformation about the election.
In addition, there are also signs of Iran's interference and certain cautious actions by China, they say.
It is emphasized that groups under the control of the Kremlin are increasingly using the services of communication companies from Russia to outsource part of the work on creating propaganda.
In particular, in March, the US imposed sanctions against two such companies that created fake websites and profiles in social networks to spread Kremlin propaganda.
US intelligence explains that Russia is trying to force American citizens to spread its disinformation without questioning its origin.
American officials emphasize that people are much more likely to trust information and spread what they believe comes from inside sources.
Fake websites designed to mimic US news outlets and AI-generated social media profiles are just two methods.
In some cases, Americans and American technology companies and media outlets are willing to amplify and repeat the Kremlin's message.
The threat of Russian interference in the US elections has increased
Senator Mark Warner, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said he is concerned that the United States may be more vulnerable to foreign disinformation this year than it was during the 2020 election.
One indicator of the threat is that officials who monitor foreign disinformation say they issued twice as many warnings to political candidates, government leaders, election commissions and others targeted by foreign groups during the 2024 election cycle than in the previous cycle. elections of 2020.
Officials did not disclose how many warnings were issued or who received them, but said the sharp increase reflected increased interest in the presidential race by America's adversaries and increased government efforts to identify and warn of such threats.
