Senators question whether the U.S. is ready to fight foreign interference in the 2024 election
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Lawmakers on Wednesday warned of a growing threat of foreign interference in the 2024 election and questioned whether U.S. agencies — and tech companies — are sufficiently prepared to respond to the danger.
"We've got to do a better job of making sure Americans of all political stripes understand what is very probably coming their way over the next … less than six months," said Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Sen. Mark Warner during a hearing with the head of U.S. intelligence and other senior officials.
The Virginia Democrat warned that attempts by Russia and other adversaries to try to influence the 2024 election through propaganda and disinformation could be "more sophisticated and more aggressive in both scale and scope" than in previous years.
Warner said the threat had increased due to a combination of more advanced and available technology, aggressive foreign actors, a growing distrust of government among Americans, litigation that has made U.S. agencies reluctant to share threat information with social media companies and a failure by tech firms to decisively tackle the problem.
"Sadly, since 2022, we've also seen considerable disinvestment — and in certain cases, utter disinterest — in platform integrity efforts by leading social media companies," Warner said. The senator was referring to social media firms cutting staff and scaling back efforts to moderate content deemed to be disinformation or hate speech.
The ranking Republican on the intelligence committee, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, said it was unclear what federal agency or official had the responsibility to respond if a foreign government spread falsehoods or posted an AI-generated "deep fake" during the election campaign.
"When this happens, if this happens, who's in charge of responding to it? Have we thought through the process of what do we do when one of these scenarios occurs?" Rubio asked. "Because I don't think I have a clear understanding of who's in charge and how we would respond. Who would take the lead?"
The senator said there needed to be a coordinated plan for how to respond instead of what he called an "ad hoc" approach that has been used in the past.
Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told senators that protecting the democratic process "from foreign influence or interference is an absolute priority for the intelligence community" and that the U.S. government "has never been better prepared to address the challenge."
Haines said her office might have the role of issuing a warning about a foreign actor spreading disinformation during an election, but she said there might be instances where local or state election officials might be better placed to warn the public.
"The hesitation that you hear from me is based on the fact that there may be certain circumstances in which, for example, a state or local official or other basically public authorities are in a better position to make the public statement initially and for the rest of us to come back behind," she said.
But Haines said she was prepared to promptly call out false information put out by foreign states, citing an example of what she said was a Russian-linked group putting out a video with false claims about a CIA plot to undermine Donald Trump's bid for the White House. The baseless video claimed to describe an internet troll farm in Ukraine used by the CIA. The New York Times first reported on the Russian disinformation.
"And I am here to say, categorically, that this claim is patently false that there is no such thing. It is disinformation, and that is the kind of approach that we'll continue to take across the board," Haines said.
The intelligence director said the video was probably the work of a Russian-affiliated group known as Storm-1516.
A CIA spokesperson said the video was "patently false."
"CIA is a foreign-focused organization that takes our obligation to remain uninvolved in American politics and elections very seriously," spokesperson Walter Trosin said.
The threat picture for foreign interference is now more complex, Haines told lawmakers, because there are an increasing number of governments or groups seeking to shape the election outcome and more commercial firms ready to help them with sophisticated tools that can hide the original instigator.
"Russia remains the most active foreign threat to our elections," Haines said.
The Russian government's objective is to use information warfare to undermine faith in America's democratic institutions, exacerbate divisions in the U.S. and weaken Western support for Ukraine, she said.
Although China seeks to promote support for Beijing's policy stances, it did not try to shape the outcome of the last presidential election and would likely retain that approach as it is keen to avoid the fallout from being caught trying to meddle in a U.S. election, according to Haines.
Iran, however, "is becoming increasingly aggressive in their efforts seeking to stoke discord and undermine confidence in our democratic institutions as we've seen them do in prior election cycles," she said.
Sen. Angus King of Maine said it was crucial that intelligence agencies move quickly to alert the public as soon as they identify a false piece of information, and to avoid slow-moving bureaucratic procedures that could play into the hands of those spreading disinformation.
King said that "if you have evidence that this is coming from a foreign source, let the public know so they can assess that."
The Maine independent said he was concerned that cybersecurity officials might take an overly cautious approach to avoid being accused of trying to intervene in the election to help President Joe Biden get re-elected.
"I'm worried that you may be overly concerned with appearing partisan and that that will freeze you in terms of taking the actions that are necessary," King said, and added: "Please ramp it up. We've got about six months and ... we know that these adversaries are going to be coming at us."
Officials and lawmakers made a point of distinguishing between attempts by foreign actors to tamper with voting or ballot counting through cyberattacks, and separate efforts to influence attitudes and spread false information.
Despite revelations that Russia broke into American voter registration rolls in 2016, there is no indication that Moscow altered the registration records or other electoral systems.
Jen Easterly, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, told the hearing that federal and state election agencies have bolstered the security of election systems over the past eight years.
"There is no evidence that malicious actors changed, deleted or altered votes or had any material impact on the outcome of any of these elections," she said. But Easterly added: "We cannot be complacent."
Russia, China and Iran have repeatedly denied they have tried to interfere in U.S. elections through propaganda, spreading disinformation or cyberattacks.
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I guess I'd be concerned about election interference if Putin ends up being the winner in the November election. From all the reports for quite a while there seems to be a lot more interference in the American election process by Americans rather than foreigners. Anyway, who cares, because this time around all the voters really have is a choice between awful and worse..
Anyway, haven't I been reading that one side of the issues here will have its armed brownshirt doormen at the polling booths to intimidate the voters into voting the "right" way, especially if the voting maps haven't been specially drawn to exclude the "wrong" kind of voters from casting ballots.
Suddenly another "story" to divert attention away from the economy, the border, the middle east, China trade relations or perhaps away from the idiot on trial in Manhattan.
Another "filler" conspiracy theory, sleight of hand, to capture the attention (and it is a very short attention span) of the American voter.
Yep, gotta watch those China trade issues that make necessities affordable for poor Americans. America complains about "forced labour" that it cannot prove but practises "forced poverty" requiring poor people to pay vaulted prices for necessities. Where are the photos of Chinese women chained to their sewing machines?
Now we are getting into Holocaust denial territory.
It's not just Uighurs. Suicide nets are necessary in Chinese factories
...
h ere are the photos of Chinese women chained to their sewing machines?
Gee. why is information so hard to come by?
The only link you posted that I could open was npr. I recall that Foxconn story from about 15 years ago. Thank you for the story - maybe it's true, and maybe it isn't and in any event maybe it isn't true any longer if it ever was. I guess China does make it difficult for any REAL proof of the accusations to be procured. I do know that there was good cause to put terrorist separatists into prisons after they massacred innocent people in Kunming, and I do know that there isn't much use for forced labour when so much has become mechanized because of technological developments here so I guess there probably are slave machines and robots forced to work, maybe even 24 hours a day. China might not allow western views of the situation because they know that the attitude will be just like yours and that what would be reported just could be incorrectly damning. I don't know if I should believe the stories I read about the enslavement of migrant farm workers in the USA either, but then I don't make a big deal out of it, do I.
Oh, and by the way, the Ughur problem is not religious persecution. Less than 10% of China's Muslims have been affected - the rest are treated no differently than any other residents.
Suddenly?
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oh dear, trump needs all the help he can get from our enemies...
Already setting the stage for the blame game, if Biden loses it isn't because he has been a worthless president, Putin did it.
like america isn't already exhausted by the rwnj rigged election chorus...
It hasn't drowned out the lwnj rigged election chorus that has been singing since 2000; and reached a fever pitch in 2016.
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"Despite revelations that Russia broke into American voter registration rolls in 2016, there is no indication that Moscow altered the registration records or other electoral systems. There is no evidence that malicious actors changed, deleted or altered votes or had any material impact on the outcome of any of these elections," she said. But Easterly added: "We cannot be complacent."
The current progressive regime trying once again to persuade us that only government approved information is valid. Trump won in 2016 without foreign interference, as did Biden in 2020. Whatever election fraud happened was not enough to change the outcomes. Of course, foreign governments will attempt to influence and spread disinformation about our elections, but government coerced censorship over news sources must not be repeated this time around. It's up to the electorate to sort out all the chaff and vote accordingly.
He knows the answer and is acting dumb because he wants the foreign interference
"little marco", the billionaire's cabana boy, knows it won't be trump supporters trying to stop any foreign interference...
That's the problem-- that whole brouhaha (or was it actually a kerfuffle?) over the issue of Marco's small hands.
Who would be foolish enough to trust a man with small hands?
"Small Hands Marco" would be unable to protect the country from the Russians, what with their "Jewish Space Lasers" and all...!!!!
SMALL HANDS MARCO!!!
Democrats gearing up for their next big loss?
Is the big red ripple coming again?
I don't recall the "red" side launching investigations into anything like that.
What I do recall are investigations into something the "red" side was accused of but turned out it was the "blue" side did.
They were all too busy denying the findings of all American intelligence agencies.
They didn't find anything of value or evidence of interference.
of course not, bill barr buried it by classifying the mueller report. gee, why would he hide trump's exoneration?
they're waiting for putin to wave at them ...
You referring to the "intelligence agencies" that claimed Hunters computer was "Russia Misinformaiton"?
And while we're on the subject-- what about Hillary's laptop?
Hunter Biden never ran for president-- but Hillary did. And what about Hillary's hands?
In an intelligent conversation such as this, that what we should be talking about! Ixnay the space lasers! The laptop. Benghazi! And of course Hillary's Hands!
And investigating the investigators . . .
Pay no mind to those suffering from Hillary Derangement Syndrome/Clinton Derangement Syndrome
You are the only one that mentioned her. Are we deflecting?
So, the Deep State is prepping the usual suspects if they don't get what they want. You know, the Federal government ain't run by elected officials. Joe Biden made a golden promise that he would do what government scientists, experts, and generals told him to do. Doesn't anyone remember the last election?
It would have been exquisite irony had the seeded article been published by the BBC. As it is, the main stream media relies heavily on foreign reporters who use their journalistic pulpits to impose opinion onto the public. Is there really any doubt that Volodymyr Zelenskyy won't be trying to influence the election? Or NATO members? Or middle eastern terrorists? And what's to stop the Biden campaign using the Federal government to disseminate misleading information? We've already seen rather questionable economic information oozing from the Federal bureaucracy.
Is misleading information from Vladimir Putin really worse than misleading information from Kamala Harris? Why aren't New York prosecutors being charged with attempt to manipulate, influence, and interfere with election? With everything that's going on, the Deep State crying wolf seems rather too self-serving.
Well you are of course entitled to your opinion. But personally I find the suspects highly unusual!
(Weird, even. yes-- like litttle Elves with small hands!)
That might be bad legal weed. Be careful out there.
(This has been a public service message from the Biden Bong Boyz. Joe Biden approves this message even if he doesn't have a clue. Far out, old dude.)
You [removed] [✘] have never told us just who comprises this alleged deep state . . .
You don't really believe they can come up with names, do you?
I have explained the Deep State before. The Deep State is made up of the career bureaucrats that provide continuity from one administration to the next. You know, the people who actually make the government function year in and year out. The people who are furloughed every time politicians shut down government. And just so you know, they work for the government; they do not work for you.
So I've told ya before and I've told ya again.
So, like always, no names, no nothing. Just the whackjob conspiracy theory, one of so many, like Qanon, or the usual rwnj whackjobbery
What a shocker!
Just WTF ARE you talking about? [removed][✘]
[✘]
NBC News, New York Times Replay Russia Hoax For 2024 Election
republicans have a documented history of sedition and collusion with america's enemies...
How about you show us that documented proof................
Don't you remember Bobby Meuller's investigation did prove it. It proved the Democrats did it so naturally that was quickly swept away.
TRUTH!
Is that why Obama had more flexibility to suck Putins dick after the election? Is it Republicans fault that Putin grabbed Crimea on Obamas watch? or that the Chinese felt comfortable enough to send Spy ballons on Bidens watch?