Deepfake: US accuses Russia of election interference

The US government accuses Russia of interfering in the current presidential election campaign and is taking action against it with a package of sanctions. The US imposed punitive measures on a number of individuals and organizations, including representatives of the Russian state broadcaster RT. The US State Department announced that it would restrict visas for employees of Kremlin-backed media organizations linked to covert influence efforts. The US government also offered a reward for information about a Russian hacker group it also accused of interfering in the election.

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Serious allegations against Moscow – all the way to the top

Moscow’s influence efforts are led from the top, according to a U.S. government assessment. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin’s inner circle directed Russian PR firms to “promote disinformation and state-sponsored narratives as part of a campaign to influence the 2024 U.S. presidential election.”

The Treasury Department complained that Russian state-backed actors have long used a variety of tools such as deepfakes and artificial intelligence (AI) for targeted disinformation to undermine trust in the processes and institutions surrounding US elections. In early 2024, RT executives also began secretly recruiting unwitting US social media influencers for influence efforts. RT used a shell company to conceal its or the Russian government’s involvement.

The various means of influence were also aimed at spreading pro-Russian government propaganda in the United States and undermining support for Ukraine, which Russia had attacked.

National Security Council communications director John Kirby said: “RT is no longer just the Kremlin’s propaganda arm. The station is being used to promote covert Russian influence operations. It aims to sow discord, spread disinformation and broadcast narratives that are favorable to Russia and harmful to Ukraine.”

Those affected by the punitive measures include RT’s editor-in-chief Margarita Simonjan and others in the channel’s management team. As a result of the sanctions, any assets of those affected will be seized in the United States. US citizens are banned from doing business with them. International trade also becomes significantly more difficult for those affected by the sanctions.

A recurring problem

According to US officials, Moscow has already interfered in previous US elections. According to US intelligence agencies, Russia campaigned for Republican Donald Trump in the 2020 election and tried to harm Democrat Joe Biden. According to US security officials, Russia also interfered in the 2016 election in favor of candidate Trump to slow down Democrat Hillary Clinton. A special investigator later investigated possible illegal collusion between Russia and Trump’s team. There was not enough evidence for this.

Addressing the recurring problem, Kirby said the US government’s countermeasures are about making such influence attempts more difficult. “Will it make it completely impossible? Probably not, because they will find solutions.”

not the only problem

Kirby stressed that it’s not just Russia that’s trying to destabilize American democracy. Garland also warned that, among other things, the current election campaign could see “increasingly aggressive Iranian activity.”

US secret services recently blamed Iran for hacking access to the internal communications of Trump’s campaign team. The Iranians tried to gain access to people directly related to the Republican and Democratic campaign teams. “These activities, including theft and disclosure, are aimed at influencing the electoral process in the United States,” a report from the security agency said. Iran is trying to “promote discord and undermine confidence in our democratic institutions.” US Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign team also recently announced that it was the target of a foreign cyber attack.

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