Voters beware: FBI warns of election disinformation videos

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued a disinformation alert on Saturday about two videos purporting to be from the FBI.

The first video “stat[es] The FBI has arrested three affiliated groups that committed voter fraud and a second in connection with the Second Gentleman.” The Second Gentleman refers to Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff. “These videos are not authentic, do not come from the FBI, and the content they depict is false,” said the statement posted on the FBI’s X account.

The tweet may have been deleted

With the 2024 presidential election approaching, misinformation and disinformation are a major problem. False information about rigged voting machines, postponing Election Day, and fake polls are just a few examples of falsehoods that are widespread on social media. While some may come from trolls, some of it could be a coordinated effort by American adversaries to foment discord and chaos.

On Friday, November 1, the FBI released a joint statement with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) regarding two additional videos believed to be the work of Russian disinformation efforts.

The first depiction falsely depicts “individuals claiming to be from Haiti and voting illegally in several counties in Georgia.” The Georgian Foreign Minister also rejected this video as false. The second is a Russian-made video in which “an individual associated with the Democratic presidential nomination is falsely accused of accepting bribes from a U.S. entertainer.”

Authorities believe these videos are part of a larger strategy to undermine trust and stoke tensions surrounding the election. “In the run-up to election day and in the weeks and months after, the IC [Intelligence Community] “Expects Russia to create and publish additional media content aimed at undermining confidence in the integrity of the election and dividing Americans.”

Here's your reminder to remain vigilant against deepfakes and disinformation, especially AI-generated images and videos, and to use trusted sources for election information.