Russia is behind a video claiming Haitians are voting illegally in Georgia

US intelligence agencies are warning Americans that Russia is actively engaged in a disinformation campaign to undermine the outcome of the presidential election. That included a video purporting to show a poll worker in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, tearing up mail-in ballots cast for Donald Trump and another claiming Haitian immigrants were voting illegally in Georgia.

“The IC believes that Russian influence actors recently produced a video that falsely depicted individuals claiming to be from Haiti voting illegally in several counties in Georgia. This ruling is based on information available to the IC and previous activities of other Russian influence actors, including “The Georgian Foreign Minister has already rejected the video's claims as false,” according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the Federal Bureau of Investigation ( FBI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said in a joint statement on Friday.

“Russian influencers also produced a video in which they falsely accused an individual associated with the Democratic presidential nomination of accepting bribes from a U.S. entertainer,” the statement continued.

Authorities warned that these videos, which have been shared widely on social media, are part of a broader effort by Moscow to make Americans question the integrity of the election and stoke division. It will not end with Election Day, as intelligence experts predict that Russian actors will continue to create and publish additional media content in the coming weeks and months.

“The federal government has identified several attempts at misinformation and distortion of information aimed at exacerbating tensions emanating from these foreign actors,” Dr. Cliff Lampe, Professor of Information and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the University of Michigan School of Information. “The platforms are trying to combat foreign interference in the content on their sites, but it's a bit of a slog. Additionally, since 2020, there has been a reduced appetite across all platforms to engage with divisive content overall, creating new opportunities because of foreign interference.”

Social media enables the spread of disinformation

Russia's disinformation efforts take advantage of the deep divide in America, but also the existing echo chambers on the Internet.

“Social media continues to significantly fuel division, hatred and anger in US politics and around the world. Misinformation has increased over the past two years, and the high speed at which misinformation spreads has led to dangerous consequences,” warned technology industry analyst Susan Schreiner of C4 Trends.

“Many social media platforms have rolled back important election integrity protections since the last U.S. election,” Schreiner noted.

This is especially true for X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

“They rolled back policies that helped curb hate speech, misinformation and threats of violence. Under Elon Musk's leadership, misinformation, disinformation and conspiracy theories have been able to flourish and thrive because critical safeguards have been reduced, all in the name of “free speech,” Schreiner suggested.

International actors from Russia, China, North Korea and Iran are now using the platforms as key components of their strategies to spread disinformation and create division, sowing doubt and undermining the integrity of US elections.

“These companies also launder this misinformation through platforms like Telegram and similar websites,” Schreiner continued. “As Election Day approaches, it appears that social media platforms are not adequately prepared to combat misinformation and unsubstantiated claims. As we head toward the 2024 elections and beyond, it is critical to effectively address these challenges.”

More than just Russia

The Kremlin is certainly not alone in spreading disinformation, as agents from China and Iran are also suspected of using social media to sow discontent. However, there may be a true “enemy from within” here, but it is not elected officials that we should be afraid of.

“I wouldn’t blame foreign actors entirely for the level of divisive rhetoric in American politics right now, although they certainly contribute to and benefit from it,” Lamp added. “Unfortunately, most of the divisive rhetoric still comes from domestic sources – not just the campaigns, but also from interest groups that see this as an all-or-nothing election.”