US seizes websites allegedly used by Russia to spread election disinformation

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The US Department of Justice is seizing dozens of websites allegedly used by the Russian government to spread disinformation in an effort to meddle with the presidential election. 

The seizures were among several actions announced on Wednesday as the US government seeks to stop the distribution of misinformation ahead of the polls in November. It also shows how the US is once again focused on Russia, which was accused of interfering with the 2016 election.

A Congress report found Russia sought to help former president Donald Trump, a Republican, prevail over the Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in that vote.

The DoJ on Wednesday accused Moscow of setting up a scheme to “covertly spread Russian government propaganda” with the aim of influencing voters, curbing global support for Ukraine and boosting pro-Russian interests. 

Federal authorities are seizing 32 internet domains for violating money laundering and criminal trademark laws.

“As alleged in our court filings, President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle . . . directed Russian public relations companies to promote disinformation and state-sponsored narratives as part of a programme to influence the 2024 US presidential election,” said US attorney-general Merrick Garland. It named Sergei Kiriyenko, first deputy chief of staff of the presidential executive office, as part of that inner circle.

“An internal planning document created by the Kremlin states that a goal of the campaign is to secure Russia’s preferred outcome in the election,” Garland added. 

One “goal” outlined in Russian documents included ensuring the victory of “Political Party A” and “Candidate A”, whose descriptions appear to correspond to the Republican party and Trump, according to an FBI filing.

The content was published on websites that were created to mimic real news outlets such as Fox News and The Washington Post, the DoJ said. The domain washingtonpost.pm was allegedly registered to imitate washingtonpost.com, for instance. 

One article on the fake Washington Post website read: “It is time for our leaders to recognise that continued support for Ukraine is a mistake. It was a waste of lives and money, and to claim otherwise only means further destruction. For the sake of everyone involved in the conflict, the Biden administration should just make a peace agreement and move on.”

US prosecutors said the scheme also involved deploying influencers globally, paying for social media advertisements — some of which were made using artificial intelligence — and creating social media profiles pretending to represent US and other non-Russian users.

The Russian embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Asked about the evolution of Russia’s efforts to influence US elections, Garland warned: “It’s an acceleration of, and it’s an increased sophistication of, and it’s use of AI and cyber techniques that were not available in earlier elections, so we’re just seeing more and more it’s coming faster and faster . . . It’s a bigger threat than it ever was before”.

Separately on Wednesday, an indictment was unsealed charging two Russian employees of state-controlled media outlet Russia Today with conspiracy to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act, which requires agents of foreign governments to register with the DoJ, and to commit money laundering. Russia Today did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Washington is on high alert for interference by foreign powers in the 2024 presidential election. Last month, US intelligence officials said Iran was behind the hacking of Trump’s presidential campaign and had also sought to compromise the campaign of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.