Justice Department Disrupts RT News Employee Led Bot Farm Targeting US

[Social Media]

 

The US Justice Department announced on Tuesday that it has disrupted a sophisticated Russian "bot farm" designed to spread propaganda and disinformation in the United States and other countries. The operation involved seizing two internet domains and searching nearly 1,000 social media accounts that Russian operatives allegedly used to pose as US residents. These fake accounts were part of an effort to promote support for Russia's war in Ukraine and to influence public opinion in the US and abroad.

 

The bot farm utilized artificial intelligence to create fake social media profiles that appeared to be ordinary people in the US. According to the Justice Department, this elaborate scheme was orchestrated by an employee of RT, a Russian state-owned media outlet funded by the Kremlin, with the assistance of an officer from Russia's FSB intelligence agency. The news comes as US intelligence officials remain vigilant for potential meddling by Russia or other foreign powers in the 2024 presidential election. US officials are particularly concerned that the country's support for Ukraine could provoke the Russian government to take greater risks in attempting to interfere in the upcoming election.

 

European nations have also been on high alert for Russian influence operations aimed at undermining support for Ukraine. Recently, Russian propagandists have intensified efforts to discredit the Paris Olympics, including producing a fake documentary that uses AI to impersonate actor Tom Cruise, according to Microsoft. 

 

The FBI, along with US Cyber Command, Dutch and Canadian security agencies, played crucial roles in exposing the bot farm. The operation targeted not only the US but also Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Ukraine, and Israel, as revealed in an advisory released jointly by the US, Dutch, and Canadian authorities.

 

RT, historically a mouthpiece for the Russian government, has seen its influence in the US diminish in recent years as social media platforms have moved to block its content. Nevertheless, RT has sought new ways to reach audiences, including using an army of fake accounts on platforms like X (formerly Twitter), according to the Justice Department. An FBI affidavit disclosed that RT leadership approved a proposal from an employee to use software to create a bot farm, theoretically enabling RT to distribute information on a large scale. 

 

The scheme accelerated when Russian operatives purchased one of two domain names from an Arizona-based company, Namecheap, in 2022, which were used to set up the bot farm. The RT employee, the FSB officer, and others had access to the bot farm, which included accounts that pretended to be interested in cryptocurrency.

 

One example cited by the Justice Department involved a fake account based in Minneapolis posting a video of Russian President Vladimir Putin claiming that parts of Poland, Ukraine, and Lithuania were a "gift" from Russian forces that liberated them from Nazi control during World War II. In another instance, a fake account replied to a US politician running for federal office with a video of Putin justifying Russia's war in Ukraine.

 

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco stated, "The Justice Department will not tolerate Russian government actors and their agents deploying AI to sow disinformation and fuel division among Americans."  CNN has reached out to the Russian Embassy in Washington, DC, the Kremlin, the FSB, and RT for comments regarding the Justice Department's announcement. The social media platform X voluntarily suspended the bot accounts identified in court documents. CNN has also requested a comment from X. 

 

This development underscores the ongoing battle against foreign interference and the use of advanced technologies like AI to influence public opinion and destabilize democratic processes. The collaboration between US, Dutch, and Canadian authorities highlights the international effort required to combat such sophisticated disinformation campaigns.

 

Credit: CNN 2024-07-11

 

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[Tug]

Good jail the dude wonder if it will affect any posters here?

[impulse]

Step 1:  Identify a Russkie bot farm

Step 2: Claim that they're supporting Trump

Step 3: Rinse and repeat 4 years later, and 4 years later.

 

[Bkk Brian]

3 hours ago, Social Media said:

this elaborate scheme was orchestrated by an employee of RT, a Russian state-owned media outlet funded by the Kremlin, with the assistance of an officer from Russia's FSB intelligence agency.

Bit more detail here, it was actually a deputy manager at RT.

 

The bot farm allegedly originated from a deputy manager at RT — a Russian state-backed news agency — and spread disinformation on the X social media platform.

The FBI and international partners targeted a total of 968 accounts, seizing a portion of them, while the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, voluntarily suspended the remaining trove of sham users identified in court documents that authorized their seizure, the Justice Department said in a prepared statement. It did not specify how many accounts were seized by the U.S., nor the remaining amount taken down on X, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“Russia intended to use this bot farm to disseminate AI-generated foreign disinformation, scaling their work with the assistance of AI to undermine our partners in Ukraine and influence geopolitical narratives favorable to the Russian government,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement.

https://www.nextgov.com/cybersecurity/2024/07/us-allies-take-down-kremlin-backed-ai-bot-farm/397912/

[impulse]

19 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

Bit more detail here, it was actually a deputy manager at RT.  

 

The bot farm allegedly originated from a deputy manager at RT — a Russian state-backed news agency — and spread disinformation on the X social media platform.

 

A) That's like the pot calling the kettle black.

 

B) It's been going on since Compuserve, AOL and Netscape...  Why do you figure they always catch them out in the months before an election?

 

C) Did 51 intelligence experts attest to the validity of the report?

[Bkk Brian]

22 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

A) That's like the pot calling the kettle black.

 

B) It's been going on since Compuserve, AOL and Netscape...  Why do you figure they always catch them out in the months before an election?

 

C) Did 51 intelligence experts attest to the validity of the report?

I know RT is your go to.....

 

I will ignore the strawmen

[impulse]

6 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

I know RT is your go to.....

 

I will ignore the strawmen

 

RT is one of about 60 sites in my NEWS bookmark folder.  You'd be surprised how many times they're hours or days ahead of the MSM.  Mostly, it's a timezone thing.  But sometimes the castrated US 4th estate takes days to catch up, when they just can't hide something any more, with the interwebs being what they are.

 

Ignore the opposition at your own peril.  It's always good to know what the bad guys are thinking.

 

[Bkk Brian]

3 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

RT is one of about 60 sites in my NEWS bookmark folder.  You'd be surprised how many times they're hours or days ahead of the MSM.  Mostly, it's a timezone thing.  But sometimes the castrated US 4th estate takes days to catch up, when they just can't hide something any more, with the interwebs being what they are.

 

Ignore the opposition at your own peril.  It's always good to know what the bad guys are thinking.

 

RT is one of about 60 sites in my NEWS bookmark folder. 

 

Yea ok.........

 

Quote

A separate affidavit indicates that the bot operation first began in 2022 through an unnamed “Individual A” that worked as the deputy editor-in-chief of state-run Russian news organization RT. At that time, RT leadership aimed to find new ways to disseminate information beyond their traditional TV broadcasts.

 

[stoner]

4 hours ago, Tug said:

Good jail the dude wonder if it will affect any posters here?

 

i would say almost all of the operatives on this forum are american shills not russian. 

[impulse]

3 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

RT is one of about 60 sites in my NEWS bookmark folder. 

 

Yea ok.........

 

I'll bet you probably don't even know how RT and the Russkies have responded to the allegations. 

 

That won't show up on MSDNC or CNN, ever...

 

[Bkk Brian]

5 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

I'll bet you probably don't even know how RT and the Russkies have responded to the allegations. 

 

That won't show up on MSDNC or CNN, ever...

 

 

4 hours ago, Social Media said:

"bot farm"

I suspect a few were missed 

[Chomper Higgot]

31 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

I'll bet you probably don't even know how RT and the Russkies have responded to the allegations. 

 

That won't show up on MSDNC or CNN, ever...

 

Who, other than Putin’s shills, cares?!

 

 

 

[impulse]

26 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Who, other than Putin’s shills, cares?!

 

I've never encountered a group so proud to be ignorant.

[Chomper Higgot]

1 minute ago, impulse said:

 

I've never encountered a group so proud to be ignorant.

 

Because you think what a malign foreign Government has to say in its propaganda and misinformation is worth listening to.

 

 

[impulse]

6 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

 

Because you think what a malign foreign Government has to say in its propaganda and misinformation is worth listening to.

 

Even if they are the enemy, and I may vehemently disagree with their analysis, there is value in knowing where they're coming from.

 

Imagine an intelligence agency that doesn't understand their adversary.

 

Lack of curiosity is not a virtue. Neither is pride in deliberate ignorance.

 

Edited July 11 by impulse

[Chomper Higgot]

8 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

Even if they are the enemy, and I may vehemently disagree with their analysis, there is value in knowing where they're coming from.

 

Imagine an intelligence agency that doesn't understand their adversary.

 

Lack of curiosity is not a virtue. Neither is pride in deliberate ignorance.

 

Russia is an enemy.

 

Your failure to understand that is a perfect example of why listening to Kremlin propaganda is not being ‘curious’ or ‘virtuous’.

You are being manipulated, by an enemy.

 

Those caught by the DOJ will have an opportunity to provide a defense in open courts of law.

 

 

 

 

Edited July 11 by Chomper Higgot

[stevenl]

5 hours ago, impulse said:

 

 

Deleted, wrong thread.

Edited July 11 by stevenl

[impulse]

1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Russia is an enemy.

 

Your failure to understand that is a perfect example of why listening to Kremlin propaganda is not being ‘curious’ or ‘virtuous’.

You are being manipulated, by an enemy.

 

Those caught by the DOJ will have an opportunity to provide a defense in open courts of law.

 

By the time this passes through the news cycle, I'll know what the American left, the American right, the Indians, the Qataris, the Brits, the Russkies, and probably the Chinese think of it.  Maybe even more, depending on how the search of terms goes.

 

You'll know what some registered Democrats posing as "journalists" want you to know.

 

Who do you think will be easier to manipulate?

 

Edited July 11 by impulse

[Chomper Higgot]

2 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

By the time this passes through the news cycle, I'll know what the American left, the American right, the Indians, the Qataris, the Brits, and probably the Chinese think of it.  Maybe even more, depending on how the search of terms goes.

 

You'll know what some registered Democrats posing as "journalists" want you to know.

 

Who do you think will be easier to manipulate?

 

Those listening to Kremlin propaganda and convincing themselves they are being curious and open minded.

 

I look forward to this going through the courts, it’s they, not the news cycle, that will dish out the necessary justice.

[bendejo]

It's no secret who Putin wants in the WH

 

And who's a happy lad?

 

[bradiston]

10 hours ago, Tug said:

Good jail the dude wonder if it will affect any posters here?

Could name a few likely candidates here and on other platforms. Endlessly spouting Russian propaganda and disinformation.

[candide]

8 hours ago, impulse said:

Step 1:  Identify a Russkie bot farm

Step 2: Claim that they're supporting Trump

Step 3: Rinse and repeat 4 years later, and 4 years later.

 

Step 1: Send messages supporting Trump or denigrating his opponents via bot farms

Step 2: Send messages claiming It's just a "Russian hoax"

Step 3: Rinse and repeat 4 years later

😃

[NativeBob]

8 hours ago, impulse said:

Step 1:  Identify a Russkie bot farm

Step 2: Claim that they're supporting Trump

Step 3: Rinse and repeat 4 years later, and 4 years later.

 

Step 4: request more funding. 

Step 5: buy nice house, muscle car, send those dumb kids to cool college

Step 6: Rinse and repeat

 

Seriously - those stories repeat itself without any substantial proof. Manafort, that general, RT, bot farms, voting machines hacks, red haired vixen - influencer from Kremlin.

Justice Dept under Biden? Seriously?

[Bkk Brian]

44 minutes ago, bradiston said:

Could name a few likely candidates here and on other platforms. Endlessly spouting Russian propaganda and disinformation.

I could name 3 on here at least 

[john donson]

disinformation AGE ... 

[bradiston]

14 hours ago, bendejo said:

It's no secret who Putin wants in the WH

 

And who's a happy lad?

 

The Manchurian Candidate.

[bendejo]

11 hours ago, Bkk Brian said:

I could name 3 on here at least 

 

I wonder how much they get paid. 

 

[candide]

50 minutes ago, bendejo said:

 

I wonder how much they get paid. 

 

The most funny aspect is that they probably don't even get paid! 😀

[radiochaser]

On 7/10/2024 at 8:35 PM, Bkk Brian said:

I know RT is your go to.....

 

I will ignore the strawmen

U.S. intelligence agencies follow RT, along with all the others that they follow.   Good intell comes from all kinds of different sources.