Russia amplified hurricane disinformation to drive Americans apart, researchers find - The Globe and Mail

Skip to main contentSearchNewslettersWatchlistHomeWatchlistFor YouCanadaWorldBusinessInvestingPersonal FinanceOpinionPoliticsSportsLifeArtsDriveReal EstateLatest in SubscribeDigital accessDigital + home deliveryRussia amplified hurricane disinformation to drive Americans apart, researchers findRussia amplified hurricane disinformation to drive Americans apart, researchers findDavid KlepperWashingtonThe Associated PressPublished October 24, 2024Open this photo in gallery:U.S. President Joe Biden talks with Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator Deanne Criswell in South Carolina on Oct. 2.Susan Walsh/The Associated PressShareSave for laterPlease log in to bookmark this story.Log InCreate Free AccountRussia has helped amplify and spread false and misleading claims about recent hurricanes in the United States and the federal government’s response, part of a wider effort by the Kremlin to manipulate America’s political discourse before the presidential election, new research shows.The content, spread by Russian state media and networks of social-media accounts and websites, criticizes the federal response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton, exploiting legitimate concerns about the recovery effort in an attempt to paint American leaders as incompetent and corrupt, according to research from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue. The London-based organization tracks disinformation and online extremism.In some cases, the claims about the storms include fake images created using artificial intelligence, such as a photo depicting scenes of devastating flooding at Disney World that never happened, researchers say.Open this photo in gallery:Image annotated by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) of AI-generated images of a flooded Disney World. ISD says the images were shared on Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti’s Telegram channel.Telegram/Institute for Strategic DialogueThe approach is consistent with the Kremlin’s long-standing practice of identifying legitimate debates and contentious issues in the U.S. and then exploiting them. Previous disinformation campaigns have harnessed debates about immigration, racism, crime and the economy in an effort to portray the U.S. as corrupt, violent and unjust.U.S. intelligence officials and private tech companies say Russian activity has increased sharply before the Nov. 5 election as Moscow tries to capitalize on an opportunity to undermine its chief global adversary.By seizing on real concerns about disaster recovery, Russia’s disinformation agencies can worm their way into U.S. discourse, using hot-button issues to undermine Americans’ trust in their government and each other.“These are not situations that foreign actors are creating,” said Melanie Smith, director of research at ISD. “They’re simply pouring gasoline on fires that already exist.”The content identified by ISD included English-language posts obviously meant for Americans, as well as Russian-language propaganda intended for domestic audiences. Much of the disinformation took aim at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Democratic administration of President Joe Biden, Vice-President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.Russia’s invasion of Ukraine remains the Kremlin’s prime motivation for spreading lies about the hurricane response. If Russia can persuade enough Americans to oppose U.S. support for Ukraine, that could ease the way for a Moscow victory, officials and analysts have said.Open this photo in gallery:Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in hurricane-affected North Carolina on Oct. 21.Win McNamee/Getty ImagesU.S. intelligence officials have said Russia’s disinformation seems designed to support Mr. Trump, who has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and disparaged the NATO alliance and Ukraine’s leaders. Posts linked to Russia routinely denigrate Ms. Harris, saying she is ignoring the pleas of storm victims. By contrast, a recent post from Russian state media company RT called Mr. Trump “a mystical figure of historic proportions.”Intelligence officials confirmed Tuesday that Russia created a manipulated video to smear Ms. Harris’s running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.Russia has rejected claims that it trying to meddle in the U.S. election. The Russian Embassy hasn’t responded to messages this week seeking comment about recent allegations by researchers and intelligence officials.Researchers at ISD found that Russian disinformation agents exploited weak content moderation on U.S.-owned social-media platforms such as X to spread their content far and wide. Before it was purchased and renamed by Elon Musk, the platform once known as Twitter required labels on content from authoritarian state media. Mr. Musk rescinded that rule and gutted the platform’s content moderation efforts, leading to a surge in foreign propaganda, hate speech and extremist recruitment.Often the false or misleading claims come from fake accounts or websites that mimic Americans or legitimate news outlets, making it difficult to determine their true origin. Unsuspecting Americans then repost and spread the content.In July, American intelligence officials warned that “unwitting Americans” were helping do Russia’s work for it.Open this photo in gallery:Screenshot of a post on X by Russian state-controlled TV network RT amplifying Donald Trump’s debunked claim that hurricane victims only receive US$750 in aid.X/Institute for Strategic DialogueExamining claims around FEMA’s response to the Hurricane Helene flood disasterNo, an armed militia was not hunting FEMA workers in North CarolinaResearchers at the Israeli tech firm Cyabra analyzed popular posts on X that criticized FEMA for its storm response. A significant number could not be verified as belonging to a real person; one-quarter of all the responses to popular posts were deemed fake. The posts were seen by users over half a billion times.In response, a spokesperson for X pointed to the platform’s system that allows users to add context to posts with false claims. The company did not respond to questions about its labelling policy.“The false claims, ranging from FEMA diverting funds to aid migrants to conspiracy theories about weather manipulation, undermine public trust in government as we near election day, which could seriously impact voter confidence,” Cyabra researchers said in a report.Open this photo in gallery:Representative Paul Gosar speaks at a Donald Trump rally in Arizona on Aug. 23.Go Nakamura/ReutersPoliticians also have helped spread Russia’s talking points.Paul Gosar, Republican congressman from Arizona, gave an interview to the Russian state media outlet Sputnik News for a piece that played up criticism of the hurricane response. He told Sputnik that the federal response was “nonexistent,” a claim easily debunked by photos and videos of FEMA recovery workers as well as the firsthand accounts of local leaders and residents in hard-hit regions.Mr. Gosar repeated another misleading claim that “billions of FEMA disaster funds” had been given instead to immigrants without legal status. In truth, money that funds U.S. border control and immigration programs comes from a different source than disaster funds.Mr. Gosar’s office did not respond to messages seeking comment Wednesday.Please enable JavaScript to view this content.Report an editorial errorReport a technical issueCommentsRelated storiesRussian consultant accused of spying for Moscow spoke at Parliament Hill forum two days before arrest by FBIPutin boasts about Russian economy, hails troops’ gains in Ukraine during his annual news conferenceOil spills into Kerch Strait after Russian tanker breaks apart in stormRussian consultant accused of spying for Moscow spoke at Parliament Hill forum two days before arrest by FBIPutin boasts about Russian economy, hails troops’ gains in Ukraine during his annual news conferenceOil spills into Kerch Strait after Russian tanker breaks apart in stormFollow related authors and topicsCybersecurityDonald TrumpFederal Politics (United States)RussiaU.S. President Joe BidenAuthors and topics you follow will be added to your personal news feed in Following.Interact with The GlobeTerms & ConditionsCommunity GuidelinesPrivacy PolicyDisclaimerSkip footer navigationSubscribeDigital + Home DeliveryDigital AccessGlobe2GoThe New York TimesGlobe Email NewslettersGift SubscriptionBusiness servicesAdvertise with UsGroup SubscriptionsGlobe CampusDataStoreGlobe Event CentreLeadership InstituteContact usAddress and Phone NumberStandards EditorStaffSecureDropSubmit an articleReader servicesAccount SettingsTechnical Support & FAQsSubscriptionsMember BenefitsPrivacy SettingsAbout usCompany InformationWork at The GlobeAccessibilityEditorial Code of ConductSustainabilityLicensing & PermissionsElection Advertising RegistryModern Slavery ReportSubscribeDigital + Home DeliveryDigital AccessGlobe2GoThe New York TimesGlobe Email NewslettersGift SubscriptionBusiness servicesAdvertise with UsGroup SubscriptionsGlobe CampusDataStoreGlobe Event CentreLeadership InstituteContact usAddress and Phone NumberStandards EditorStaffSecureDropSubmit an articleReader servicesAccount SettingsTechnical Support & FAQsSubscriptionsMember BenefitsPrivacy SettingsAbout usCompany InformationWork at The GlobeAccessibilityEditorial Code of ConductSustainabilityLicensing & PermissionsElection Advertising RegistryModern Slavery ReportReturn to start of footer navigation© Copyright 2025 The Globe and Mail Inc. All rights reserved.351 King Street East, Suite 1600, Toronto, ON Canada, M5A 0N1Andrew Saunders, President and CEO
To a large degree, it only works because Republican voters desperately want any excuse, now matter how absurd, to continue voting Nazi.