The US Justice Department has taken significant action against a Russian influence operation known as ‘Doppelganger,’ which aims to undermine confidence in the 2024 US presidential election. The US authorities announced the seizure of 32 internet domains linked to Russian propaganda efforts allegedly used to covertly spread disinformation designed to sway public opinion in the US and other countries favouring Russia.
Two Russian nationals also face criminal charges for their involvement in a disinformation scheme allegedly orchestrated at the behest of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Justice Department has imposed sanctions on ten individuals and entities, including the Social Design Agency (SDA), Structura National Technology (Structura), and ANO Dialog, for their involvement in certain illegal activities. Among the targeted entities is the Social Design Agency (SDA), which has been accused of operating fake news sites to spread false narratives favourable to Russia.
Sergei Kiriyenko, the first deputy chief of staff to Russian President Vladimir Putin, was directly responsible for these companies.
At least one of the domains was a rip-off of The Washington Post. The domain name — washingtonpost.pm — was used for fabricating media reports and spreading alleged Russian propaganda, including sharing critical reports related to Ukraine.
This technique is known as cybersquatting, where threat actors take over domain names similar to those of well-known news outlets and use them to push AI-generated content and false narratives on social media.
The United States has, till now, accused China, Russia, North Korea and Iran of interfering in the upcoming elections.
In addition to fabricated news sites, Russian operatives created fake social media profiles and paid influencers to promote their content. These fake profiles were used to infiltrate comment sections and social media platforms, spreading links to the disinformation websites to reach as many users as possible.
The SDA documents seized by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) also say that Russians favour at least one presidential candidate, referred to as ‘US Political Party A’. However, the documents didn’t mention the name.
Furthermore, the authorities also found that SDA was trying to influence voters in six swing states — Nevada, Georgia, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin — by fueling racial and geopolitical narratives.
The content was also tailored to include Hispanic voters, American Jews, and online communities like Reddit and 4chan users. The Justice Department noted that the Russian influence campaign extended beyond the United States, with efforts to sway public opinion in countries such as Mexico, Germany, and Israel, reports The Record.
In April 2024, Microsoft warned India, South Korea, and the United States that threat actors from China or North Korea may target elections.
Last month, in August, US authorities had accused Iran of interfering in the ongoing elections.
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