Key takeaways:
– A fake San Francisco news outlet published falsified video claiming Kamala Harris’s involvement in a hit-and-run accident.
– The video was created by a Kremlin-linked troll farm intending to disrupt Harris’s Presidential campaign.
– The FBI and the Department of National Intelligence confirmed the video as misinformation.
– Russia tops the list of countries proliferating AI-generated election content, with an established pattern of utilizing text, image, and audio manipulations.
– The proxy news site KBSF-TV was registered in Reykjavik, Iceland, and was offline as of Tuesday.
Details Emerge in Disinformation Campaign
Digital offence has emerged as a significant tool in global politics. Russian actors, using a phony San Francisco news outlet, recently disseminated fabricated videos to incite discord and spread disinformation about Vice President Kamala Harris’s Presidential campaign, as confirmed by Microsoft.
Creating a False Narrative
One particularly harmful piece of content included a video claiming Harris’s part in a hit-and-run accident. For this, an actor was used to simulate falsehood about Harris’s involvement. Reportedly, the news outlet showing this video was established shortly before the video’s release. Unfortunately, it garnered millions of views.
According to Microsoft, the video was the handiwork of a troll farm affiliated with the Kremlin. It is said these Russian agents will likely continue using cyber proxies and hacktivist groups to proliferate their messages through various media and social channels with a propensity for spreading divisive political content.
Deepening Deceit and Discord
Government officials from the Department of National Intelligence and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have confirmed the false news story published by the fictitious San Francisco news outlet, KBSF-TV, in early September. The article falsely implicated Harris in a 2011 hit-and-run accident. The video contained made-up details about a female victim, supposedly paralyzed due to the incident.
Unmasking the Perpetrators
Upon scrutinizing the countries tracked by the Department of National Intelligence, a pattern emerges. Russia has produced the most AI content related to the upcoming election, DNI said in a statement. The Russian actors responsible for producing the hit-and-run video have also worked on manipulating text, images, and audio in other instances.
The KBSF-TV website, created in late August and registered in Reykjavik, Iceland, has since been pulled down and was inactive as of Tuesday. There remains no evidence to suggest that any of the events showcased in the video had any factual basis, something officials confirmed.
The FBI has not responded to requests for comments at the time of publishing. The Kamala Harris campaign could not also provide an immediate comment.
In the current age of digital technology, maintaining accurate information flow is a continuous battle. The disinformation approach targeting Harris’s campaign is a stark reminder of the continuous threats to the truth in an era of AI technology and digital warfare.