Russian Disinformation Campaign Targets Kamala Harris with False Accusations

[Social Media]

 

Russian propagandists have escalated their attacks on the presidential campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris, spreading disinformation through viral social media videos, according to Microsoft researchers. One particularly damaging video featured an actor falsely accusing Harris of a hit-and-run that paralyzed a young girl. Although the incident never happened, the video spread widely on X (formerly Twitter), reaching as many as 7 million views and gaining further traction on platforms like Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube.

 

The video originated from a newly created San Francisco-based news outlet, which quickly disappeared after the video gained popularity. Despite its short lifespan, the false narrative resonated with social media users, shared by accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers. Another fabricated video promoted the idea that Harris had commissioned vulgar billboards in New York advocating for children to change their gender. This video also gained substantial attention, amassing hundreds of thousands of views.

 

Microsoft researchers identified three Russian government-backed groups as the source of these smear campaigns. The groups have a history of creating provocative, fake content designed to generate outrage and sway public opinion. One of the groups, Microsoft noted, is particularly adept at creating scandalous claims and videos that dominate headlines. Another is expected to ramp up its targeting of the Harris campaign as the election approaches.

 

These findings were part of Microsoft’s regular report on foreign attempts to influence U.S. elections. The company has warned that Russia’s disinformation efforts have not diminished despite previous exposure and attempts to disrupt their operations. In fact, the Kremlin seems undeterred by international scrutiny, even as Russian President Vladimir Putin has publicly claimed to support Harris.

 

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, recently took action by banning pages affiliated with the Russian state-controlled media outlet RT (formerly Russia Today). The U.S. government has imposed sanctions on RT, accusing it of engaging in intelligence and propaganda activities. Two RT employees were indicted by the Department of Justice for laundering millions of dollars through shell companies to covertly run a media firm in Tennessee, which posted videos by conservative influencers in an effort to undermine support for Ukraine.

 

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has been vocal about the threat posed by Russian media outlets like RT, stating that they are no longer merely spreading propaganda but are actively involved in covert operations to influence elections. "They are engaged in covert influence activities aimed at undermining American elections and democracies, functioning like a de facto arm of Russia’s intelligence apparatus," Blinken said.

 

In addition to disinformation campaigns, Microsoft’s report also detailed the activities of six Russian hacktivist groups believed to be working in collaboration with Russian intelligence agencies, such as the FSB and GRU. These groups, while claiming independence, seem to coordinate closely with the Russian government and offer a means of disseminating compromised information from hacking operations while maintaining plausible deniability.

 

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the FBI have also raised alarms, warning that foreign actors might attempt to falsely claim hacks of voter rolls or election-related materials to undermine public trust in the election process. Microsoft echoed this concern, urging caution in inflating the perceived threat posed by these groups, while also emphasizing the need for vigilance.

 

In addition to Russian interference, the report highlighted the activities of a Chinese influence group. This group appears more focused on dividing Americans and creating confusion rather than backing a specific candidate. Microsoft pointed to a notable example following the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. After the incident, Chinese-operated accounts began rapidly sharing content from right-wing influencers and commentators, pushing narratives that implicated Democrats in the attack.

 

These revelations underscore the ongoing threat of foreign interference in U.S. elections, as Russia and other countries continue to exploit social media and other platforms to spread disinformation, inflame tensions, and erode trust in democratic institutions.

 

Credit: WP 2024-09-19

 

 

 

[Patong2021]

wow. As per the above article

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/russians-made-viral-video-falsely-accusing-harris-of-a-hit-and-run-microsoft/ar-AA1qMsM5

(The Hill) – Microsoft said Russians made a viral video falsely accusing Vice President Harris of a hit-and-run.

Per a Tuesday report from the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center (MTAC), Russians recently “produced and disseminated two inauthentic videos designed to discredit Harris and stoke controversy around her campaign.” One of the videos “used an on-screen actor to fabricate false claims that Harris paralyzed a girl in a 2011 hit-and-run accident,” according to the report. MTAC said in the report that the videos were from a “prolific Russian actor” named Storm-1516. 

 

Isn't time someone held the Russians and their enablers responsible?

 

 

 

 

[Tug]

Quell surprise they want their Donnie back he’s a tremendous asset to the enemy.sadly……..

[JonnyF]

No point making up stories about Harris.

 

The truth is sufficient to derail her campaign. 

[ThaiFelix]

DONALD!!

[newbee2022]

And why they do this?

Because Donald seems to be more likely the "useful idiot" to them 👍

[black tabby12345]

Poo-tin looks like so desperate for Trump's presidency.

No more or reduced aid to Ukraine under his administration.

Democrat's win is his nightmare.

[stevenl]

1 hour ago, JonnyF said:

No point making up stories about Harris.

 

The truth is sufficient to derail her campaign. 

Where? So far she's doing well.

[RichardColeman]

Who needs the russians ? The woman is a complete idiot ! 

 

[thesetat2013]

4 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

wow. As per the above article

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/russians-made-viral-video-falsely-accusing-harris-of-a-hit-and-run-microsoft/ar-AA1qMsM5

(The Hill) – Microsoft said Russians made a viral video falsely accusing Vice President Harris of a hit-and-run.

Per a Tuesday report from the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center (MTAC), Russians recently “produced and disseminated two inauthentic videos designed to discredit Harris and stoke controversy around her campaign.” One of the videos “used an on-screen actor to fabricate false claims that Harris paralyzed a girl in a 2011 hit-and-run accident,” according to the report. MTAC said in the report that the videos were from a “prolific Russian actor” named Storm-1516. 

 

Isn't time someone held the Russians and their enablers responsible?

 

 

 

 

Wouldn't it be a kicker if it was true haha... 

[thesetat2013]

1 minute ago, RichardColeman said:

Who needs the russians ? The woman is a complete idiot ! 

 

Yeah... Can you imagine her a president trying to talk this way to other world leaders. haha... God Help America

[mdr224]

26 minutes ago, black tabby12345 said:

Poo-tin looks like so desperate for Trump's presidency.

No more or reduced aid to Ukraine under his administration.

Democrat's win is his nightmare.

Democrats winning in 2020 is what allowed him to attack in the first place. Weak leadership means more wars

[JonnyF]

32 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Where? So far she's doing well.

 

Because she isn't speaking. Which given her usual word salad followed by a 10 second cackle is a good move. 

 

Let's see if she can keep that up for the rest of the campaign. If she can, it could be close. 

[bradiston]

2 hours ago, JonnyF said:

 

Because she isn't speaking. Which given her usual word salad followed by a 10 second cackle is a good move. 

 

Let's see if she can keep that up for the rest of the campaign. If she can, it could be close. 

Yankee go home.

[wwest5829]

4 hours ago, thesetat2013 said:

Yeah... Can you imagine her a president trying to talk this way to other world leaders. haha... God Help America

Bless your heart… 555

[riclag]

6 hours ago, JonnyF said:

No point making up stories about Harris.

 

The truth is sufficient to derail her campaign. 

I fear the people of my country have been misled by harris & her supporters of Woke .America has fallen to the radical Globalist same as the UK ,France Canada.

 

Avoiding taking tough questions by 

the most popular cable news agency in the USA , Fox News is the same as

misleading & deception!

 

The American people seem oblivious to this as the Msm media & dems spin 

public opinion about the threat to their

Democracy.

 

 

 

[placeholder]

6 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Who needs the russians ? The woman is a complete idiot ! 

 

The thing is that this is a highly edited reel that's making a case. Whereas Trump doesn't need the assistance of such editing to utter nonsense.

[illisdean]

6 hours ago, thesetat2013 said:

Yeah... Can you imagine her a president trying to talk this way to other world leaders. haha... God Help America

Oh for sure, she's a typical deep thinking liberal moron who KNOWS the "children of the community are the children of the community..."

Without a speech writer and /or teleprompter this fraud is about as sharp as a bowling ball, totally daft, worse than Biden.....If the assassination program against Trump continues to fail the dems should swap this moron out for another moron that is less of a moron than this moron, LOL....vote for moron, just less of a moron than the previous liberal moron. Good thing, there are plenty of morons that can replace the current moron nominee.

 

 

 

 

[Thailand]

5 hours ago, JonnyF said:

 

Because she isn't speaking. Which given her usual word salad followed by a 10 second cackle is a good move. 

 

Let's see if she can keep that up for the rest of the campaign. If she can, it could be close. 

Not who I saw in the debate?

And on the recent interviews, seemed very capable

 

Saw today that Trump said the audience was on his side when he was fact checked 10 or 11 times. What is wrong with that statement?

[billd766]

8 hours ago, JonnyF said:

No point making up stories about Harris.

 

The truth is sufficient to derail her campaign. 

So post YOUR version of the truth with all the links that go with them.

 

Then they can be fact checked and proven to be true or false.

 

Your "words" alone mean nothing without proof.

 

So put up, or simply fade away like the troll that you are.

[tgw]

Operator Starsky, who is a well-known pro-Ukraine Youtuber, just did a video on the Russian Agency responsible for disinformation:

 

 

[riclag]

17 minutes ago, Thailand said:

Not who I saw in the debate?

And on the recent interviews, seemed very capable

 

Saw today that Trump said the audience was on his side when he was fact checked 10 or 11 times. What is wrong with that statement?

You make a claim without a source!

So its your opinion!

Let me offer my opinion !

Maybe he was talking about other audiences that he confronts when he speaks about the first time in American Politics a Presidential  debate was live fact checked ! 3 on 1 with interruptions 

and one sided fact checking!

 

[JonnyF]

23 minutes ago, billd766 said:

So post YOUR version of the truth with all the links that go with them.

 

Then they can be fact checked and proven to be true or false.

 

Your "words" alone mean nothing without proof.

 

So put up, or simply fade away like the troll that you are.

 

Here's a couple of truths about Harris to calm you down a bit Bill (or not 😄). 

 

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/07/26/politics/kfile-kamala-harris-praised-defund-the-police-movement-in-june-2020/index.html

 

https://theconversation.com/democratic-partys-choice-of-harris-was-undemocratic-and-the-latest-evidence-of-party-leaders-distrusting-party-voters-236002

 

 

 

[newbee2022]

8 hours ago, thesetat2013 said:

God Help America

He's just starting. Harris will be the best president in American history.👍

[Thailand]

1 hour ago, riclag said:

You make a claim without a source!

So its your opinion!

Let me offer my opinion !

Maybe he was talking about other audiences that he confronts when he speaks about the first time in American Politics a Presidential  debate was live fact checked ! 3 on 1 with interruptions 

and one sided fact checking!

 

https://www.mediaite.com/tv/trump-speaks-of-nonexistent-debate-audience-says-they-went-crazy/

[Celsius]

8 hours ago, black tabby12345 said:

Poo-tin looks like so desperate for Trump's presidency.

No more or reduced aid to Ukraine under his administration.

Democrat's win is his nightmare.

 

Are you pretending to actually care about Ukraine?

[farangkinok]

8 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Who needs the russians ? The woman is a complete idiot ! 

 

You left out "blithering" in your description😄

[Celsius]

 

12 minutes ago, farangkinok said:

You left out "blithering" in your description😄

 

Here's a MAGA hat for you....

 

 

[riclag]

26 minutes ago, Celsius said:

 

 

Here's a MAGA hat for you....

 

 

What happened to you ?

You use to be so liberal !imop

What changed!

[johng]

2 minutes ago, riclag said:

What happened to you ?

You use to be so liberal !imop

What changed!

Not wanting to speak for  @Celsius   but I think the so called liberals  are what has changed    they have become full on fascist censorship,authoritarian anti democracy zealots, think the Trump win and subsequent covidiocy broke them but that's just my opinion.