US intelligence says Russia promotes Trump in more sophisticated manner than before – WP

US intelligence reports that the Russian government's covert efforts to influence the 2024 US presidential election are more advanced than before.

Source: The Washington Post, citing a senior official from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI)

Details: The ODNI official said that Russia's activities "are more sophisticated than in prior election cycles".

He noted that Russia is using "authentic U.S. voices" to "launder" Russian government propaganda and spread divisive narratives through social media, as well as on fake websites posing as legitimate American media organisations.

The publication reads: "Moscow is targeting U.S. swing states in particular, the official said, and using artificial intelligence to more quickly and convincingly create fake content to shape the outcome in favour of former president Donald Trump."

This is "consistent with Moscow’s broader foreign policy goals of weakening the United States and undermining Washington’s support for Ukraine," the ODNI official said.

Two things put Russia "at the top of the list" of foreign governments seeking to influence the election, the ODNI official said. "They’re [the Russians – ed.] fairly robust and quite practised at doing this type of activity. Also the scope and the scale of their activities are quite significant."

The official added that Russia is working on the election race. The Russians are using artificial intelligence to create synthetic content more quickly and persuasively and have hired influence firms that use marketing, public relations, and other expertise to make attribution more difficult.

"Americans are more likely to believe other Americans’ views compared to content with clear signs of foreign propaganda," the official said. "So what we see them doing is relying on witting and unwitting Americans to seed, promote and add credibility to narratives that serve these foreign actors’ interests."

The ODNI also noted that as Moscow's sophistication has grown, the U.S. intelligence community's "understanding of these efforts has also increased  – in our effort to understand and counter it."

Previously: John Kirby, Strategic Communications Coordinator for the US National Security Council, said that Americans should take seriously Russia's intentions to interfere in the US election.

Background: Dimitri Simes, a Russian propagandist of American origin, and his wife Anastasia were charged in the United States with violating the sanctions regime in favour of Pervyi Kanal (Channel One) Russia, a state-owned Russian television station.

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