This is enough to fuel concerns about foreign interference in the American elections: Microsoft Group claims that Russia has increased disinformation operations against Kamala Harris’ campaign, by distributing conspiracy videos. In late August, Storm-1516, an influence group allied with the Kremlin, produced two fake videos to discredit the campaign of the vice president and her running mate Tim Walz, Microsoft indicated in a report published Tuesday, September 17.
Both videos have been viewed millions of times. One purported to show a group of alleged Harris supporters attacking a person falsely portrayed as attending a Trump rally. The second showed an actor spreading false allegations that Harris paralyzed a young girl in a 2011 car accident and fled the scene.
A second Russian group, known as Storm-1679, previously dedicated to spreading disinformation about the 2024 Paris Olympics, has begun posting fake videos discrediting Kamala Harris, Microsoft says.
“Exploit any perceived vulnerability in candidates”
“The focus on the Harris-Walz campaign reflects a strategic move by Russian actors to exploit any perceived vulnerabilities in the candidates,” said Clint Watts, general manager of Microsoft’s Threat Analysis Center. “As the election approaches, we should expect Russian actors to continue to use cyber proxies and hacktivist groups to amplify their messages through media sites and social networks to spread divisive political content, fake videos, and artificial intelligence (AI) propaganda.”
The report was released a day before a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on foreign threats to the upcoming election. On Monday, Meta Group, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, announced it was barring Russian media group Rossiya Segodnia, which owns RT, from accessing its platforms worldwide to prevent “foreign interference activity.” Washington has accused RT and its employees of using shell companies to fund a social media influence campaign.
Earlier this year, the Justice Department said it had uncovered a Russian disinformation campaign that used bots to create fake profiles on X. The campaign, which aimed to create a conflictual atmosphere in the United States, was designed by an RT editor, funded by the Kremlin and aided by an agent of Russia’s FSB security service, according to the department.