According to a report published by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Oct. 2, Russia, Iran, and China are the biggest threats to critical infrastructure and democratic institutions in the United States, especially in the upcoming presidential election. This report comes after the U.S. announced a crackdown on Russian propaganda outlets for alleged election interference. The DHS warned that these hostile foreign actors may use various tactics, including generative AI, to spread disinformation and undermine electoral operations.
The report stated that Russia’s goal is to influence the outcome of the election, sow division, and give credibility to their efforts. Iran, on the other hand, sees this election as crucial to its national security interests. The DHS also cautioned that these countries are increasingly using generative AI to create more believable text, audio, and video to reach American audiences while concealing their origins.
The U.S. is just one month away from the presidential election, where former President Donald Trump will face Vice President Kamala Harris. The campaign has been tumultuous, with assassination attempts, President Joe Biden’s withdrawal, and allegations of foreign interference. The DHS report revealed that Iranian operatives have been indicted for hacking emails connected to Trump’s campaign. The U.S. intelligence is confident that Iran has also attempted to access individuals linked to both parties’ campaigns.
In addition, on Sept. 4, the U.S. sanctioned prominent propagandists, including RT Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan, and seized 32 internet domains associated with Kremlin propaganda campaigns. The U.S. accused these outlets of trying to interfere in the upcoming election.
Russia has previously been accused of using social media disinformation, bot farms, and other means to support Donald Trump in the 2016 and 2020 elections against his Democratic opponents, Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden. Iran and China have been Russia’s key military and economic allies since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
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