U.S. intelligence officials believe foreign adversaries such as Russia, China, and Iran will continue to try to undermine Americans’ confidence in the legitimacy of the November election results. These countries are expected to spread disinformation and false claims about ballot counting, and may attempt to question the validity of the election results after the polls close. Intelligence agencies have assessed that Cuba is also involved in trying to influence congressional and state races, while Iran is focused on the presidential race. Russia is primarily focused on manipulating opinions about Ukraine, while China is targeting multiple races by denigrating specific candidates through social media and online activities. These foreign adversaries have become more skilled in using Americans to spread misinformation, either through foreign influence firms or by using unwitting individuals to launder narratives through authentic U.S. voices. Despite evidence of these interference efforts, governments in Russia, China, Iran, and Cuba deny any involvement in covert operations. U.S. officials also mentioned that Russia’s disinformation campaign is aimed at undermining Vice President Kamala Harris and other Democrats, while Iran is seeking to discredit former President Donald Trump. Last month, federal authorities indicted three Iranians for hacking Trump’s campaign, although the stolen information was not accepted by Joe Biden’s campaign.
Photo credit
www.nbcnews.com