WASHINGTON — U.S. officials tracking disinformation campaigns say they have issued more warnings about political candidates, government leaders and others targeted by foreign groups in recent months as America's adversaries seek to influence the outcome of the 2024 election.
An official from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said Wednesday, without providing details, that the figure is higher, at least in part because “presidential elections attract greater attention from adversaries.”
One of the officials, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, said the increase in warnings that began last fall could reflect an increased threat, improved government detection capabilities or both.
Lawmakers from both parties expressed concern about the nation's preparedness for foreign disinformation during a presidential election and the potential damage it could cause to voter confidence and faith in our democratic institutions. They also questioned whether the federal government has the ability to warn voters when countries like Russia or China attempt to use disinformation to influence American politics.
Anyone else reading this…
Pizza Hut locations suddenly closed across Northwest Indiana after franchisees allegedly defaulted on payments
The family of a Crown Point ironworker is suing, alleging he suffered “devastating, life-changing injuries” after a 100-foot fall at University of Chicago Hospital.
$1.3 billion Chesterton data center plan scrapped in the face of opposition
Chick-fil-A to open in Michigan City
Downtown Schererville, Racetrack and Kennedy Street projects moving forward
East Coast chain Wawa builds first store in Indiana, aims to have 60 stores
New store opens at Southlake Mall in Hobart
Two people injured after train crashed into truck on South Shore Monday, authorities say
2 Shooting deaths in area ruled homicides
Longtime athletic director, football and basketball coach passes away
Motorbike driver seriously injured while racing to catch up with train, police say
East Chicago man died in car crash Wednesday, coroner's office announces
A “nurse” who claimed to have discovered a fire in a patient's Porter County home has been charged with arson, police say
Records show the man was charged with repeatedly abusing a family member.
UPDATE: Public works employee injured by driver, police say
Influence operations include disinformation and propaganda designed to mislead voters about particular candidates, issues, or races, as well as social media posts and other digital content intended to suppress voting through intimidation or provide voters with misinformation about election procedures.
The list of countries waging such campaigns includes familiar adversaries such as Russia, China and Iran, as well as a growing number of second-tier nations such as Cuba, officials said, and there are also signs that some U.S. allies are running their own campaigns aimed at influencing voters, they said.
One official said Russia was the biggest threat and its main goal was to undermine public support for Ukraine and confidence in American democracy more generally.
China is believed to be more cautious than Russia about online disinformation campaigns, worried about potential backlash from the U.S., officials said. Iran is seen as an “agent of chaos” likely to experiment with online techniques to stoke voter anger and violence.
Officials did not say how many private warnings they had issued to candidates, political groups or campaign offices. The warnings come after a joint committee of intelligence officials concluded that influence efforts could be used to sway the outcome of elections or discourage certain groups from voting.
The official said the warning would only be issued if authorities could determine the operation was the work of a foreign source, allowing authorities to “take a more defensive posture.”
The unit within the intelligence community leading the effort, the Center for Foreign Malicious Influence, has no jurisdiction over domestic entities, and officials briefing reporters on Wednesday said they were trying to avoid the appearance of policing Americans' speech or playing favorites when it comes to candidates.
The only time intelligence officials have publicly warned about this was in 2020, when groups with ties to Iran sent emails to Democratic voters in an apparent attempt to intimidate them into voting for Donald Trump.
Powerful artificial intelligence programs that can quickly create images, audio and video are posing a growing problem as researchers seek to use the technology to create lifelike fakes that could easily mislead voters.
The use of AI has already emerged ahead of elections in India, Mexico, Moldova, Slovakia and Bangladesh, and in the US, some voters in New Hampshire received an AI robocall that imitated the voice of President Joe Biden.
Officials said AI deepfakes used by U.S. adversaries remain the biggest threat.
Fifty-two lawmakers have announced they will not seek re-election this year.
Fifty-two lawmakers have announced they will not seek re-election this year.
The number of lawmakers retiring will increase from 2020 and 2022 onwards.
House
Senate
Fifty-two lawmakers have announced they will not seek re-election this year.