Axis of Disinformation
Justin Green at Axios:
An axis of disinformation — ranging from hackers to fake websites to a dose of AI — has emerged ahead of November, with the U.S. government stepping up its warnings on foreign election interference.
Why it matters: Three of America's most potent adversaries — Russia, China and Iran — make the list.
1) Russia paid nearly $10 million to hire U.S. influencers — some with millions of followers — to "amplify divisions in the United States," the Justice Department said in an indictment today.The Justice Department seized 32 domains, some including "cybersquatted" sites publishing disinformation meant to resemble legitimate news outlets, like the Washington Post and Fox News, reports Axios' Avery Lotz.
2) China is leveraging a campaign called "Spamouflage" — using fake or hacked accounts posing as American citizens — to spread anti-Western sentiment ahead of the election, according to a report out yesterday by intelligence company Graphika.Some of the most recent political content was "almost certainly AI-generated," per the report.
China is more focused on influencing U.S. policy on Taiwan and undermining confidence in U.S. democracy than on helping any particular candidates, analysts told AP.
3) Iran has emerged as a player in its own right in the disinformation universe.
- It has already hacked individuals associated with the Trump campaign and attempted similar attacks on the Biden and Harris campaigns.
- Iran's government and Revolutionary Guards Corps are pushing the disinformation effort, the N.Y. Times reported today.
- Iranian operatives also posed as students and gave financial help during the U.S. protests this year against the Israel-Gaza war, the Times reports, citing U.S. intelligence assessments.
