The Justice Department announced on Tuesday that a Russian propaganda campaign, supported by the Kremlin, has been disrupted. This campaign involved the use of artificial intelligence to spread online disinformation in the United States. The operation aimed to sow discord by creating fake social media profiles of supposed authentic Americans to advance the Russian government’s agenda, including spreading false information about the war in Ukraine. The scheme was orchestrated with the backing of the Kremlin and involved a social media bot farm developed by a senior editor at RT, a Russian-state-funded media organization.
In response to these actions, FBI Director Christopher Wray emphasized the significance of disrupting a Russian-sponsored AI-enhanced social media bot farm. The intention behind this operation was to use AI-generated disinformation to undermine Ukraine’s partners and promote narratives favorable to the Russian government. The Justice Department revealed that fake accounts were used to post misleading content, such as a video in which Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed certain territories were “gifts” to other countries from Russia. The disruption efforts included seizing domain names and investigating social media accounts on a popular platform, previously known as Twitter.
A joint cybersecurity advisory released by U.S., Dutch, and Canadian authorities highlighted the potential widespread impact of the software used in the Russian propaganda campaign. The advisory revealed that the software, named Meliorator, was utilized to spread disinformation in various countries, including Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Ukraine, and Israel. While the software was initially limited to one social media network, the advisory warned that its functionality could likely be expanded to other platforms, highlighting the ongoing threat posed by foreign influence campaigns in the digital age.
