The Kremlin is turning to unwitting Americans and public relations firms in Russia to spread disinformation about the US presidential race, top intelligence officials says, detailing the latest efforts by America's adversaries to shape public opinion before the 2024 election.
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The warning comes after a tumultuous few weeks in US politics - including an assassination attempt on Republican candidate Donald Trump and President Joe Biden dropping out of the race - that have prompted Russia, Iran and China to revise their propaganda playbook rapidly.
What had not changed, intelligence officials said, was their determination to seed the internet with false and incendiary claims about American democracy to undermine faith in the election.
"The American public should know that content that they read online - especially on social media - could be foreign propaganda, even if it appears to be coming from fellow Americans or originating in the United States," said an official from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity under rules set by the office of the director.
Russia continued to pose the greatest threat when it came to election disinformation, authorities said, while there were indications Iran was expanding its efforts and China was proceeding cautiously when it came to 2024.
Groups linked to the Kremlin were increasingly hiring marketing and communications firms within Russia as a way to outsource the work of creating campaigns and as a way to hide their tracks, the officials said during the briefing with reporters.
Two such firms were the subject of new US sanctions announced in March.
Authorities say the two Russian companies created fake websites and social media profiles to spread Kremlin disinformation.
The disinformation can focus on the candidates or voting, or on issues that are already the subject of debates in the US, such as immigration, crime or the war in Gaza.
The ultimate goal, however, is to get Americans to spread Russian disinformation without questioning its origin.
Fake websites designed to mimic US news outlets and AI-generated social media profiles are just two methods.
In some cases, Americans and American tech companies and media outlets have willingly amplified and parroted the messages of the Kremlin.
"Foreign influence actors are getting better at hiding their hand, and getting Americans to do it," said the official, who spoke alongside officials from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security.
Senator Mark Warner, the chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, said the warning from intelligence officials showed the US election was "in the bullseye of bad actors across the globe".
"It also, disturbingly, emphasises the extent to which foreign actors - and particularly Russia - rely on both unwitting and witting Americans to promote foreign-aligned narratives in the United States," Warner said in a statement.
Australian Associated Press
