The U.S. intelligence community is warning Americans that Russia is actively engaging in a disinformation campaign to undermine the outcome of the presidential election. This has included a video that purported to show a poll worker in Bucks County, PA, tearing up mail-in ballots cast for Donald Trump, and another that claims Haitian immigrants are illegally voting in Georgia.
“The IC assesses that Russian influence actors manufactured a recent video that falsely depicted individuals claiming to be from Haiti and voting illegally in multiple counties in Georgia. This judgment is based on information available to the IC and prior activities of other Russian influence actors, including videos and other disinformation activities. The Georgia Secretary of State has already refuted the video’s claims as false,” the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said in a joint statement on Friday.
“Russian influence actors also manufactured a video falsely accusing an individual associated with the Democratic presidential ticket of taking a bribe from a U.S. entertainer,” the statement added.
The agencies warned that these videos, which have been widely shared on social media, are part of a broader effort directed by Moscow to make Americans question the integrity of the election and to stoke division. It won’t end with Election Day, as experts within the intelligence community expect that Russian actors will continue to create and release additional media content in the weeks and months to come.
“The federal government has traced several efforts at misinformation and information framing designed to heighten tensions that come from these foreign actors,” explained Dr. Cliff Lampe, professor of information and associate dean for academic affairs in the School of Information at the University of Michigan. “The platforms try to address foreign interference in content on their sites, but it’s a bit of a game of whack-a-mole. Also, since 2020 there has been a decreased appetite across platforms to address divisive content overall, which creates new openings for foreign interference.”
Social Media Enabling The Spread of Disinformation
Russia’s disinformation efforts are taking advantage of America’s deep divide but also the existing echo chambers online.
“Social media continues to significantly ferment division, hate, and anger in U.S. politics and across the globe. Over the past two years or so, misinformation has proliferated, and the rapid speed at which misinformation moves has resulted in dangerous consequences,” warned technology industry analyst Susan Schreiner of C4 Trends.
“Many social media platforms have rolled back critical election integrity protections since the last U.S. election,” Schreiner noted.
That is especially true on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
“They’ve reversed policies that helped curb hate speech, misinformation and threats of violence. Under Elon Musk’s leadership, misinformation, disinformation and conspiracy theories have been allowed to thrive and fester due to a reduction in critical safeguards, all in the name of ‘free speech,'” suggested Schreiner.
International actors from Russia, China, North Korea and Iran are now utilizing the platforms as key components of their strategies to spread disinformation and create division, thereby sowing doubt and undermining U.S. election integrity.
“These entities are also laundering this misinformation through platforms like Telegram and similar sites,” Schreiner continued. “As Election Day approaches, it appears that social media platforms are inadequately prepared to tackle misinformation and baseless claims. As we head toward the 2024 election and beyond, it’s crucial to effectively navigate these challenges.”
More Than Just Russia
The Kremlin certainly isn’t alone in this spread of disinformation—as agents of China and Iran are also suspected of using social media to sow discontent. However, here is where there could be a true “enemy from within,” but it isn’t elected officials that we should fear.
“I would not solely blame foreign actors for the amount of divisive rhetoric in American politics at the moment, though they certainly contribute to and benefit from it,” added Lampe. “Unfortunately, the majority of the divisive rhetoric still comes from domestic sources—not just the campaigns but interest groups who see this as an all-or-nothing election.”
