US Thwarts Russian Operations With Fake Buzzer Pro Kremlin Social Media Account

UNSPLASH/Washington ILLUSTRATION DC, USA/Ella Ch

JAKARTA - The United States (US) Department of Justice thwarted Russian operations using fake social media accounts equipped with artificial intelligence to spread pro-Kremlin messages in the United States and abroad.

This news comes four months before the US presidential election, which security experts believe will target hacking and social media influence efforts in secret by foreign enemies.

Reported by Reuters on Tuesday, July 9, senior American officials said they were publicly monitoring a scheme intended to disrupt the vote.

The alleged operation, according to prosecutors, was organized through Russia-based private intelligence organizations managed by Russian intelligence officers and former Russian Today news outlet employees based in Moscow and government-funded.

The private organization is said to have designed a special AI-backed platform to create, control, and manage hundreds of fake social accounts, which were created to make them look like they represent native Americans, according to court documents.