Fake “news piece” has received millions of views • The expert: Russian disinformation stands out
The clip has been viewed millions of times and has been spreading across the internet for weeks with the hashtag #HitAndRunKamala.
In what appears to be a serious news report from “KBSF-TV San Francisco News,” a woman claims that she was paralyzed as a 13-year-old after being run over by Vice President Kamala Harris in a 2011 hit-and-run accident.
– When I was lying on the side of the street, I saw a woman. I didn’t know then that it was Kamala Harris, then I just saw a scared, strange woman. She sat behind her wheel and looked back at me. I heard my mother scream and then the woman started her car and drove away, says the victim, who calls herself “Alicia Brown”.
Employed by Storm-1516
Brown further claims that it was only at the hospital that it became clear that the woman was Kamala Harris and that her co-workers threatened the girl’s mother into silence.
Researchers at Microsoft now state that the clip is disinformation – and that it is the Russian group Storm-1516 that has produced it. In connection with a new study writes the company that the Kremlin-linked troll factory has hired an actor to play the role of victim.
The researchers at Microsoft assess that the video was created for an American target group and consider it a sign that Russia has increased its efforts to influence the November 5 presidential election.
“As we approach the election, we should expect Russian actors to continue to use cyber proxies and hacker groups to amplify their messages through fake news sites and social channels aimed at spreading divisive political content, staged videos, and AI-enhanced propaganda,” writes Microsoft.
That’s why it stands out
Sebastian Bay, an expert on disinformation and election security, explains that the fake clip stands out. In the past, he has mainly seen similar production created for a domestic target audience in Russia, not for recipients in the Western world.
– You cannot be shocked by the fact that they have great ability. They have done individual things for the past ten years and if they want to, they can, but it is a risk to do it for an international target group, he says.
For example, Bay addresses content produced in connection with Russia’s annexation of Crimea and how actors were then used to spread a false narrative and influence the domestic debate.
“A challenge”
As a regular social media user, it can be difficult to know what is true or false.
– It is absolutely a challenge. Sometimes it is difficult to disprove and it often does not matter if it is disproved. If something spreads in a stressful situation, it can be the catalyst that causes the cup to overflow, says Sebastian Bay.
– It shows the need for free and independent media and that the media houses need the resources to be able to review and analyze the data, he continues.
The disinformation expert has not seen similar influence attempts in Sweden.