Russia seeks to interfere in US elections — NYT
Photo: Voters in the US (Getty Images)
Russia is preparing for new attempts to influence the US electoral process using disinformation and modern technology. According to The New York Times, Iran and China, in addition to Russia, also want to influence the elections.
US intelligence agencies and security experts are paying particular attention to how Moscow might use digital tools to influence American voters.
Russia has repeatedly conducted influence campaigns during US elections. In particular, US intelligence agencies have previously reported on Russian operations aimed at spreading disinformation and influencing public opinion.
Currently, the Kremlin's attempts to influence the US election process, scheduled for November, are also being monitored.
Russia's attempts to influence election
Researchers in Europe and the United States who track Russian disinformation campaigns recently detected signs of Russian activity.
Last week, a network previously linked to Kremlin trolls posted a series of videos on X and BlueSky in two separate waves; these videos were created using artificial intelligence.
The content included baseless claims against Democrats running for the Senate. The posts attacked the candidates by using themes that US President Donald Trump and the Republican Party have relied on to discredit Democrats.
Specifically, these included accusations of corruption, anti-Semitism, and support for the rights of gay and transgender people.
These posts contained false or unsubstantiated claims in videos designed to appear as if they came from well-known news organizations, including CNN, the BBC, and The New York Times.
Iran and China also attempt to interfere in elections
In addition to Russia, China and Iran also use similar tools in their influence campaigns.
As far back as the 2020 presidential election, Iran attempted to spread propaganda that undermined the authority of US President Donald Trump.
Officials have now stated that it is entirely reasonable to expect the regime to do so again.
For example, last month Meta published a report highlighting a small network of Facebook and Instagram accounts originating from Iran and focused on US politics.
The network's content, some of which was generated using artificial intelligence, contained anti-Republican views.
China also wants to influence
Beijing, the agency notes, also intends to influence the election, though activity originating from China is the lowest compared to that from Russia and Iran.
"In general, China is more careful in order to avoid being caught, while Russia and Iran are seen as less bothered about being discovered," the NYT article states.
Overall, ahead of the US election, American officials fear that advances in artificial intelligence will make foreign interference faster and cheaper.
At the same time, the scale and specific objectives of future operations will depend on the tools used by foreign states.
According to recent polls, US President Donald Trump’s approval rating has risen slightly after falling to a record low.
At the same time, the Republican Party's standing has deteriorated ahead of the midterm congressional elections.
