FBI warns of two fake online videos about election security

The FBI warned today that two videos circulating online, both focused on election security, falsely claim to be from the agency.

Authorities said one video said the FBI had “arrested three linked groups committing election fraud” and the other video was about Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff.

“These videos are not authentic, do not come from the FBI, and the content they depict is false,” the FBI said in a statement.

The statement underscores federal and state authorities' concerns about misinformation and deepfakes in the run-up to the election. Last month, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released an assessment that a Russian propaganda unit had “constructed and amplified” content alleging “unlawful activities committed by the Democratic vice presidential candidate during his previous career.” The allegations were that Walz sexually assaulted students during his time as a high school teacher.

On Friday, intelligence officials issued an assessment that “Russian influence actors produced a recent video that falsely portrayed individuals claiming to be from Haiti and voting illegally in several counties in Georgia,” according to the Office of the Director of the National Intelligence sources have also produced a video “in which an individual associated with the Democratic presidential nomination is falsely accused of accepting bribes from a U.S. entertainer.”

In the days before the election and after, intelligence officials said they expected “Russia to create and publish additional media content aimed at undermining confidence in the integrity of the election and dividing Americans.”