US election: Online misinformation and deepfakes risk violence, agencies warn

Misinformation, unfounded claims, and falsehoods about voting and fraud are spreading across online platforms at an unprecedented rate as US citizens go to cast their votes today, and it’s outside adversaries such as hostile nation states that are to blame, according to the US government and security experts.

A joint statement, issued yesterday by the FBI, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), said that Russia was “the most active threat” as false stories and videos of election fraud pose a risk of violence.

They cited a recent article posted by Russian actors falsely claiming that US officials across presidential swing states were orchestrating a plan to commit fraud, as well as a video that falsely depicted an interview with an individual claiming election fraud in Arizona.

“These efforts risk inciting violence, including against election officials,” they said.

“We anticipate Russian actors will release additional manufactured content with these themes through election day and in the days and weeks after polls close.”

At the Qualys Security Conference last month, cyber threat director Ken Dunham spoke of how state adversaries such as Iran, Russia and China were purposefully spreading false facts to divide the country.

“We currently live in an age where nobody knows how to tell the truth,” he said.

“It comes down to creating division, and, if they can, causing a violent outcome,” he said. “They aim to stir the pot.”

Mitigating misinformation

He added that the responsibility of discerning truth from misinformation lies with both individuals and organisations.

“You have to decide what the trusted sources are” he advised, underscoring that critical thinking and media literacy are essential.

According to Dunham, outsider threats will manipulate social media to exploit emotions and biases, “and people will react immediately without fact-checking.”

“During the US elections, for example, they’re primed for it…Growing up, news was reliable, but now social networking sites and blogs have changed that…People now believe even mildly credible information.

“Combine that with AI and deepfakes, and it’s even more believable,” he added.

Dunham’s advice is to distrust any information as soon as it’s read and to cross-check.

“It’s a bit more effort, but it’s necessary.”

Dunham explained that to keep on top of not only misinformation but outsider cyber threats, Qualys keeps its employees up to date on relevant risks.

“We derisk and then we publish an internal blog for employees to read to keep everyone informed,” he said.

“We’re blogging now as a way to say: here’s the stuff you need to care about for nation-state, crime, elections, and common threats that rise up during this time of instability.”