Russian bot farm spreads fake videos of Kamala Harris
Kamala Harris (Getty Images)
Russian bots (state-sponsored anonymous Internet users) are spreading fake videos of US presidential candidate Kamala Harris to discredit the Democrat and her campaign, according to Microsoft Threat Analysis Center (MTAC).
There have been changes in the tactics of Russian interference in the political situation of the United States over the past few months. The Russians have focused on the Harris-Walz campaign, spreading disinformation videos.
The report mentions two troll groups - Storm-1516 and the new Storm-1679. They have created and distributed two videos about Harris that have received millions of views.
The first video shows Harris' alleged supporters attacking a participant in a rally in support of Donald Trump. In another video, an actress resembling Harris is shown fleeing the scene of a fake car accident.
The videos appear online from a local media in San Francisco, created only a few days before the fake videos were published.
A new group of trolls, Storm-1679, has shifted its focus from producing content about the Paris Olympics to publishing fake videos discrediting Harris. One of them shows a billboard in New York City with false statements by the US vice president. The video received more than 100 thousand views on Telegram in four hours.
As the US election approaches, one should expect an upsurge in fake political videos created and distributed by Russia, Microsoft adds.
US election
The US presidential election will take place in November. The main candidates for the presidency are Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump.
US intelligence said recently that Russia had begun to promote Trump, using more sophisticated methods than before.
Read more about the challenges for Ukraine and Zelenskyy amid the US election in RBC-Ukraine's article.
