Finley Thomas, Jigyasa Maloo, Mercedes Scheible, NORTHCOM Team
Alice Cian, Samantha Mikulskis Editor; Elena Alice Rossetti, Senior Editor
November 1, 2024
Disinformation on Social Media[1]
Event: On October 31, 2024, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger denounced a viral video in which men claiming to be Haitians assert they illegally voted for presidential candidate Kamala Harris using multiple IDs in Georgia. Raffensberger dismissed the footage as likely a “production of Russian troll farms” aimed at disrupting the US election, stating “We can’t let our enemies use lies to divide us and undermine faith in our institutions.”[2] He urged Elon Musk, owner of X, to remove the content, warning that such disinformation could undermine public trust ahead of the US election.[3] US intelligence officials have noted the increasing sophistication of Russian influence efforts, particularly in swing states like Georgia.[4]
Significance: The viral video alleging illegal voting, is very likely designed to undermine public trust amid widespread allegations of election fraud and will very likely increasingly serve as a tool to spread disinformation. The video will very likely deepen political polarization and reinforce pre-existing biases on politicized domestic issues, such as immigration. The antagonistic depiction of foreigners involved in illegal voting, particularly Haitians, will very likely increase hostility and negative sentiment toward them among the US population, very likely amplifying the anti-immigrant narrative. The video very likely seeks to imply that Harris and the Democratic Party are favorable towards immigrants, likely fueling skepticism around her immigration policies and portraying her as complicit in election interference. Suggesting that immigrants can easily manipulate the voting process will likely reduce public trust in the electoral system and discredit the legitimacy of election results.
The intensity of disinformation campaigns targeting Georgia’s electoral integrity will almost certainly increase as the 2024 US election approaches, likely exploiting the media coverage that state officials’ response elicits. The focus from US security agencies and authorities on these incidents will very likely amplify their visibility, likely encouraging foreign and domestic groups to exploit similar tactics to undermine public trust in the election process. Foreign actors, including Russian operatives, will likely use these disinformation tactics, such as fake video sharing on X, to reinforce partisan divides, especially in swing states. A lack of robust content moderation on X will likely enable disinformation to spread quickly, very likely allowing greater visibility to the content and providing it enough time to go viral before the platform removes or moderates it. As attention to posts utilizing targeted disinformation increases, disinformation campaigns will almost certainly become more sophisticated and targeted, very likely deepening societal divisions and potentially complicating US officials' efforts to uphold electoral confidence.
Recommendations
The Counterterrorism Group (CTG) recommends social media platforms increase their monitoring capabilities, remove flagged information related to the 2024 elections, and conduct automated reviews for posts originating from foreign accounts.
Election authorities should maintain direct communication with social media platforms such as X to ensure flagged disinformation content is removed in real time, fostering a collaborative approach to maintain election integrity.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) should increase real-time collaboration with state election offices to trace and block disinformation sources with a focus on foreign actors. Federal agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), should intensify monitoring of foreign interference efforts targeting the US elections, focusing on disinformation campaigns aimed at influencing public opinion.
The Georgia Secretary of State should issue regular updates on election security measures to certify that officials are taking all measures to ensure secure and regular voting. The state and local authorities should launch targeted campaigns to increase public awareness and educate voters on detecting and reporting disinformation.
State and local law enforcement should increase collaboration with federal agencies like CISA to timely respond to disinformation incidents and uphold public trust in election integrity.
Local communities should engage and collaborate with election officials, and the state government to actively share voting-related information to prevent disinformation and increase voter confidence.
If there is any additional and or critical information please contact us at The Counterterrorism Group (CTG) by Telephone 202-643-2848 or email info@counterterrorismgroup.com
[1] Social Media, generated by a third party database (Created by AI)
[2] Statement from Secretary Raffensperger, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, October 2024, https://sos.ga.gov/news/statement-secretary-raffensperger
[3] Georgia official warns of likely Russian interference in presidential election, Washington Post, October 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/10/31/georgia-fake-election-video-haiti-migrants-russia/
[4] Russia’s election influence efforts show sophistication, officials say, Washington Post, September 2024 https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/09/07/russia-election-covert-disinformation-doj/