Russia boosts disinformation campaigns ahead of США midterm elections, - NYT

This is reported by The New York Times.

According to Alethea research, Kremlin bots are spreading posts in social networks that create the impression that bipartisan support for Israel in США is weakening. The campaign, according to researchers, is managed by the Russian consulting company Social Design Agency, which is under sanctions США and ЄС.

The operation found over 50 fake accounts on social network X, which often pretended to be Israeli women. They published messages in synchronized waves from about 7 October, the third anniversary of the ХАМАС attack on Israel.

Subsequently, another network of more than a thousand accounts distributed these posts in various discussions with a large number of participants. Links from publications often led to fake news materials on clone sites of real media.

Засновниця Alethea Ліза Kaplan noted that individual posts did not gain a significant number of views or reactions. At the same time, the volume of publications and comments under them indicates that the campaign could reach an audience.

14 October social network X reported blocking of 13 thousands of accounts associated with three separate influence operations attributed to Iran, Russia and China.

According to the platform, fake profiles distributed materials about the policy of США and attacked candidates and public figures from different parts of the political spectrum.

15 October representatives of the American intelligence tried to hold a closed briefing for officials on threats ahead of the election. However, due to technical problems, it was not possible to establish a secure virtual connection with election personnel. One of the American officials said that the event is planned to be postponed to next week.

According to him, such election briefings usually contain reference materials and information about threats, and not intelligence data that require immediate action.

U.S. officials familiar with the intelligence reports told NYT that they were unaware of the specific "Doppelgänger" campaign described by Alethea. At the same time, intelligence services noted the activation of this network and Social Design Agency ahead of the midterm elections.

Alethea found posts aimed not only at American voters, but also at citizens of Israel and France. In Israel, elections are scheduled for 27 October, in France - for April next year.

U.S. officials have confirmed the intensification of Russian campaigns in these three countries.

Back in September, the The New York Times reported that, according to secret U.S. intelligence assessments, the Kremlin approved a new digital campaign to spread disinformation. Its goal is to exacerbate internal disagreements in США during the pre-election period.

At the same time, according to American officials, these estimates have not found evidence of attempts to interfere in the electoral system in a way that jeopardizes the voting process itself.

In addition to Doppelgänger, researchers are tracking other campaigns that link to Russia. In September, a network previously linked to Kremlin trolls distributed videos created with the help of artificial intelligence. They contained baseless accusations against Democrats running for the Senate of США.

Graphika linked this activity to Operation Матрьошка. In its assessment, the campaign included fabricated reports of corruption against Democratic senators Корі Букера from New Jersey and Джона Гікенлупера from Colorado.

In October, Matryoshka-related posts also spread conspiracy theories about the alleged involvement of Democrats in the attempted hijacking of a FlyDubai plane bound for Tel Aviv. Another Russian campaign promoted information about a recent Дональда Трампа deal with Володимиром Путіним to purchase Russian diesel fuel.

Senior researcher Graphika Жан Le Roux noted that the nature of these campaigns allows us to judge their direction: according to him, Republican candidates do not suffer similar attacks.

Foreign influence campaigns against American voters have existed for many years. However, over time, their methods change: operations cover more platforms, use new tactics and increasingly involve artificial intelligence.

Experts also draw attention to the reduction of efforts of social networks in the field of trust and security after prolonged criticism from conservative politicians and commentators who accused the platforms of restricting freedom of speech.

According to Лізи Каплан, even low-engagement posts can be useful for the organizers of such operations if they help to undermine trust. She emphasizes that spreading false information on the Internet is much easier than accessing other accounts.

• Cases of Russian interference in electoral processes are also recorded in other countries. On the eve of local elections in Germany, social networks spread more than 180 fake posts within the framework of the Russian information operation "Матрьошка".