The United States Justice Department (DOJ) has seized 32 internet domains linked to Kremlin propaganda campaigns aimed at disrupting the 2024 presidential election, the DOJ announced on Sept. 4.
The announcement comes amid a crackdown on Russian election interference following U.S. intelligence warnings on July 9 that Moscow has plans to wage information campaigns against U.S. voters during the upcoming election.
Along with the domain seizures, the U.S. Treasury Department designated 10 individuals and two entities as part of Russia's coordinated propaganda campaign, nicknamed "Doppelganger."
The DOJ also indicted two Russian nationals employed by the Russian state news agency RT.
The Russian firms Social Design Agency (SDA), Structura National Technology (Structura), and ANO Dialog were directed by Russian President Vladimir Putin's First Deputy Chief of Staff, Sergey Kiriyenko, to covertly disseminate Kremlin propaganda with the intent to reduce support for Ukraine and influence the outcome of international elections, the DOJ alleged.
An internal planning document says that the Russian government's goal is to "secure Russia's preferred outcome in the election," U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said.
Russia has been accused of using social media disinformation, bot farms, and other means to back Donald Trump against his Democratic opponents – Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden – during the 2016and 2020 elections.
Trump is running for president a third time, and will face off against Vice President Kamala Harris in November. U.S. intelligence officials said they "have not observed a shift in Russia's preferences for the presidential race from past elections."
The Doppelganger operation allegedly used tactics such as cybersquatting, fake influencers, and artificial accounts to promote AI-generated disinformation campaigns on social media.
Many Doppelganger sites imitated legitimate news outlets to bolster pro-Russian narratives while obfuscating their ties to the Russian government.
"Our actions today make clear that the Justice Department will be aggressive in countering and disrupting attempts by the Russian government, or any other malign actor, to interfere in our elections and undermine our democracy," Garland said.
Abbey Fenbert
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