Russia targets Harris with fake videos ahead of elections
6:09 AM EDT, September 18, 2024
Russia is intensifying its disinformation activities targeted at Democratic presidential candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris. The American corporation Microsoft reports the dissemination of fake recordings aimed at discrediting Harris before the elections.
At the end of August, the group Storm-1516, associated with the Kremlin, produced two videos viewed millions of times.
One of the recordings purportedly shows a group of Harris supporters attacking a person falsely presented as a participant in a rally for former US president and Harris's electoral rival, Donald Trump.
In the second recording, an actor makes false insinuations, claiming that Harris caused a car accident in 2011, which resulted in a girl being paralyzed, and that Harris supposedly fled the scene.
At the same time, another Russian group, Storm-1679, also published manipulated recordings aimed at smearing Harris. This same group was previously known for spreading disinformation about the Olympic Games in Paris.
The general manager of Microsoft's Threat Analysis Center, Clint Watts, warned all Americans.
He stated that as the US presidential elections draw nearer, Russians will likely increasingly use digital intermediaries and hacktivist groups to intensify political discord, spread fake recordings, and disseminate AI-generated propaganda on social media.
Harris won the debate with Trump
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump recently held a presidential debate in Pennsylvania. According to CNN polls, the Democratic candidate emerged victorious by 63 to 37 percent.
During the debate, the winner accused the former US president of, among other things, that "he would hand over Poland to Putin for a favor."
The US presidential elections will take place on November 5th.
