The Kremlin is using unsuspecting Americans and commercial PR firms in russia to spread disinformation about the U.S. presidential election.
This follows from a statement by senior U.S. intelligence officials published by the AP agency.
"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," said an official from the Office of the Director of the National Intelligence.
Russia remains the biggest threat in terms of election disinformation. However, there are signs that Iran is expanding its efforts, and China is moving cautiously toward the 2024 elections.
Kremlin-linked groups are increasingly hiring marketing and communications companies based in russia to outsource some of the digital propaganda and trail-covering work, officials said at a press briefing.
Two such companies were included in new U.S. sanctions announced in March. U.S. authorities say two russian companies created fake websites and social media profiles to spread Kremlin disinformation.
The ultimate goal of the russians is to force Americans to spread russian disinformation without questioning its origin. People are far more likely to trust and share information they believe comes from an inside source, officials said. Fake websites designed to imitate American news outlets and AI-generated social media profiles are just two methods.
In some cases, the Americans and U.S. technology companies and media outlets willingly reinforce and repeat the Kremlin's message.
It will be recalled that on July 21, U.S. President Joe Biden, after announcing his withdrawal from the presidential race, approved the candidacy of Vice President Kamala Harris for the position of presidential candidate from the Democratic Party.
On July 21, U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said that, in his opinion, Vice President Kamala Harris will be easier to defeat in the November election than incumbent Democratic President Joe Biden.
In addition, Trump said that Vice President Kamala Harris is "evil and stupid."
At the same time, Harris was two percentage points ahead of Trump in the national poll.
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