Foreign-Sponsored Misinformation — What to Watch Out For in Russia’s Disinformation War
‘Tis the Season for Fake News
We’ve just passed Labor Day, entering into the election season in earnest. Unsurprisingly, monitors have already detected concerted foreign misinformation, disinformation, fake news and election interference attempts, a trend likely to escalate between now and November 5. The Department of Justice recently indicted two Russian nationals and alleged that the Russian state-run propaganda outlet Russia Today (RT) paid $10 million to right-wing bloggers for their content, much of which mirrors Russian talking points. Experts warn that more disinformation, misinformation, and fake news is coming.
What should Americans watch out for in this war against us? What should we do and not do when we hear “facts”, news, and opinions about Harris/Walz and Trump/Vance, their parties, and the world, in the coming months?
Be Informed About What Russia Is Doing
Forewarned is forearmed. Let’s start with the lowest-hanging, largest fruit. A highly-reliable source, The Conversation, reports on five Russian misinformation and disinformation tactics currently ravaging the US:
Using local populist right-wing media influencers.
RT allegedly links to and sponsors these influencers’ content, increasing circulation. This strategy magnifies right-wing messages, making them seem more credible to their consumers due to their ubiquity.
*Tip: Don’t be fooled by outrageous claims repeated by others, especially those with a clear pro-Russia, bias. Instead look at reliable sources and try to employ common sense. For example, Putin said that he favors Kamala Harris. He and Russia support Donald Trump, as their actions since 2016 indicate.
2. Creating fake news outlets.
RT has allegedly created a network of fake Internet domains purporting to be local US sites, which target specific subgroups of US citizens by making claims about issues to which they are likely to react emotionally. These sites often promote conspiracy theories, Donald Trump’s candidacy, and Russian talking points about Ukraine and Putin.
*Tip: Consider the source. Check to see if it discloses its editors, authors, ownership, provides a masthead, means of contact, and means of funding. The more a source lacks these features, the more likely it is to be questionable. Assume random TikTok or social media creators are not credible.
*Tip: If the outlet and claim are extremely right-wing, pro-Russia, pro-Putin, and/or put forth a conspiracy theory, whether on the left or right, be wary. Merriam Webster defines conspiracy theory as:
“a theory that explains an event or set of circumstances as the result of a secret plot by usually powerful conspirators.”
*Tip: View extreme left-wing, undocumented and unverifiable claims with suspicion as well. While many studies have found that Conservatives are more likely to share, encounter, and believe misinformation, disinformation, fake news, and conspiracy theories, the Left is not immune. Spreading of misinformation appears to be increasing there as well.
3. “Adding fuel to the fire”
Russia allegedly creates and distributes content about issues already dividing the United States, like “wokeness”. This content often employs a combination of true and false information.
*Tip: Don’t assume that because one part of an article, post, video, or news story may be true, the rest of it is true. Think of a really good liar sticking to the truth as much as possible so that the bigger lie will be believed.
4. “Flipping the script”
Russia often denies any accusations of wrongdoing without providing any fact or support. Instead, Russia accuses another country, NATO, or anyone other than Russia of doing what they’ve been accused of, or something else nefarious.
*Tip: Watch out for non-denials about or from Russia that are attacks or “whatboutisms”, a propaganda technique claiming someone else did something similar or worse. This tip applies to homegrown politicians, political parties, and any statements made in response to an accusation.
*Tip: Apply critical thinking to ask whether a “denial” responds to the original claim or instead points outwards to someone else and/or makes you angry or upset, without providing verifiable factual basis.
5. Using humor or satire
Russia often uses humor or satire to justify, or minimize the gravity of, its actions.
*Tip: Don’t let whether you find something funny cloud your judgment of the issue under discussion. Consider why someone would make such a joke, and what the funny bit confirms or doesn’t. Often, it confirms nothing but our own bias and prejudice and distracts us from the real issue.
Iran, along with China, has a long-term disinformation warfare strategy to weaken the US and democracy around the world.
Iranian and Chinese Disinformation, Misinformation, and Fake News
Iran and China are also making substantial disinformation, misinformation, and fake news efforts to try to manipulate the American public. Experts believe that Iran has adopted option number 2 in the state disinformation menu above: creating fake news sites that purport to be local US sites. Some Iranian efforts seem to favor Kamala Harris and Democrats, but Iran has also targeted Harris and President Biden. Experts view Iran’s motivation as a desire to create disharmony within and tarnish the reputation of the United States and democracy as a form of government over the long term, rather than as a concerted effort to influence the current election.
Iran also focuses its efforts at American dissent and internal anger on another war: the War in Gaza. Iran seeks to fan flames against Israel and the US government in the same way that Russia does with the Ukrainian war, the US government, and NATO.
*Tip: Look for a lack of nuance and balance in claims about Hamas, Gaza, and Israel. The War in Gaza is the subject of a great deal of misinformation on social media.
China, another autocratic government, uses “Spamouflage” (both a company and a phenomenon) to grow networks of fake social media users who purport to be American. Spamouflage distributes large amounts of seemingly innocuous, disconnected information, along with disinformation. Some speculate that Spamouflage uses AI, the next frontier for disinformation. Experts believe China’s goals to be less focused on the coming election than Russia’s. Rather China seems to intend to create longer-term support on issues important to China, such as Taiwan policies. Like both Iran and Russia, China seeks to undermine confidence in elections, voting, democracy, and the US.
*Tip: View claims about Taiwan, US election integrity, and democracy as a lesser form of government with care.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Russia Paying European Politicans to Repeat Their Talking Points
Kitchen Table Talk will treat the topic of disinformation, fake news, misinformation and “deep fakes” using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in more depth in subsequent blog post. For now, it’s safe to say, it’s being used against us. AI can and likely will dwarf any disinformation attempts that have come before.
In March, a number of European countries reported having “busted” a Russian network using the Voice of Europe website to pay politicians and European Union Parliament Members from Germany, France, Poland, Belgium, the Netherlands and Hungary to spread anti-Ukraine stories and to influence the EU elections.
Could Russia try to buy politicians here too, as well as, allegedly, social media influencers? There has been no official evidence produced in the public so far that this has happened. But the idea that Russians would attempt to pay US politicians in addition to right-wing influencers to advance their talking points is certainly within the realm of possibility given all of its efforts documented above. At least one former CIA officer, Alex Finley, has suggested we should view the Russian’s alleged actions in Europe as a warning for what could happen here.
Unleashing Weapons of Modern Warfare
Russia remains the actor making the most, largest, and grandest short-term attempt to influence the US population, notably promoting a candidate and party who now seem to support Russia and Putin’s positions and prefer them to traditional American allies. While Iran’s and China’s agendas differ somewhat from Russia’s, in many ways, all three non-democratic countries share similar goals. They all want to weaken the United States and democracy by:
-interfering with the fundamental right and basis of any democracy, for citizens to elect their leaders in free and fair elections
-interfering with the fundamental right to enjoy a free press
-violating US sovereignty
-deploying a new, hidden technological weapon against the US
-sowing discord and widening divisions among Americans
-promoting distrust in our government, leaders, and media
-benefiting their own countries and causes
-discrediting the US
-weakening trust in the democratic form of government in the US and around the world
-manipulating, lying, and tricking Americans into believing falsehoods
-spreading misinformation on-line, over streaming or on TV
-employing old-fashioned influence campaigns infiltrating and influencing US organizations, influencers, and leaders
In other words, they are in effect waging an information war against the United States, which could prove deadly.
With Enemies Like This, We Need Friends, and Each Other
These countries are acting as our enemies, against our interests. They seek to damage us through multi-pronged attacks in service of their aims, and of the aims of their autocratic leaders. Russia has allegedly similarly attacked our European allies, as happens in more conventional warfare. But even without killing, the stakes in this war couldn’t be higher.
If we do not have free and fair elections-- which we don’t if we vote based on belief in falsehoods unleashed to weaken our democracy and advance the goals of our enemies—we may eventually, or soon, lose our democracy. If we continue to lose this very real modern war, shooting at each other rather than putting up a common defense, democracy as a form of government may eventually, or soon, bend to the aims of authoritarianism and dictatorship.
We defended our country against tyranny in World War II by working together.
We Are Losing Every Day Without Realizing It
Yeah, yeah, that’s all very high-minded and frightening, perhaps histrionic-sounding, even. Maybe you’ve heard this all before. And there’s so much of misinformation—what can any one person do? How does anyone really know anything anyway? Also, it will get so much worse once AI proliferates and explodes, if it hasn’t already. Deep Fakes? Not even worth trying to identify.
The best way to deal with this this real, modern war foreign countries are waging on all Americans is to understand that these countries have long ago informally declared war, seriously, against us and have won many battles already. Then we can begin to stop our multiple daily surrenders. We can fight back.
We need to get back to “we”. The “us” versus “them” that matters to our country’s future existence is not “blue” versus “red”, but us, the US, against those who wish to destroy us and our form of government.
When You ASSUME You Make an ASS Out of YOU and ME
These three opponents like it when we Americans:
assume disinformation, misinformation, or fake news is true or reliable
constantly react to information emotionally, immediately
don’t think
don’t talk to each other civilly
don’t respect each other
don’t trust each other
become ever more divided
reduce our attention spans and careen from one exciting story to the next
lash out at our family, friends, institutions, leaders, and other Americans
do not seek to heal our widening divides
attack each other instead, dwelling in outrage and insult
don’t try to understand each other
rely on self- and algorithm-imposed information silos and confirmation bias
spend less time with other people, and especially those with whom we disagree
Instead of all of the above, we can, collectively and in our own lives, make small changes: put our phones down, go outside, create connections, hold hands, and smile and look at each other again, remembering we are all Americans. We need to join forces against our common enemy rather than attacking each other with not so friendly “friendly fire”.
What Every American Can Do Every Day to Win Personal Battles and Our Country’s Existential War
First and foremost, we must stop assuming that anything we read or hear is true. Here’s how we FIGHT for our side in the disinformation war.
Flip the script: assume anything we hear or read is not true until proven otherwise
Inhale: breath, pause, and consciously resist the bullets shot into your emotional triggers
Get away from your devices: create armor havens to avoid hate bombs
Honor: honor our neighbors, our country, and our common purpose, history, and values
Think and Treasure: think rather than react, fact-check rather than attack, treasure our beautiful country and its ideals and values
