Microsoft says Russia trying to smear Harris with deepfake video, AI

Russia is attempting to “undermine” Vice President Harris’s campaign using artificial intelligence (AI) generated videos while China has begun targeting a series of GOP congressional candidates ahead of November, according to a new report from Microsoft.

The Microsoft Threat Analysis Center, in a report published Wednesday, said Russian operatives have created AI-enhanced deepfake videos portraying Harris in an unfavorable light as the election approaches in nearly two weeks.

In one video, Harris was “accused of illegally poaching in Zambia,” while another clip falsely showed the vice president making a “crass reference” to the assassination attempts against former President Trump, the report said.

Most of these AI-generated videos do not receive a lot of engagement, though one video with disinformation about Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), Harris’s running mate, received more than 5 million views on the social platform X in the first 24 hours, according to the report.

The videos “underscore Russia’s ongoing use of both traditional and AI-generated content to influence U.S. audiences and stoke political discord,” the analysis stated.

The report follows a series of previous findings from Microsoft and other companies detecting efforts by foreign adversaries to wield influence over next month’s election. The National Intelligence Council on Tuesday said it expects these efforts to intensify in the days leading up to the election, while noting these attempts would not go undetected.

Microsoft also observed increased activity from Chinese influence operations going after down-ballot Republican candidates and Congressional members that have publicly denounced the People’s Republic of China (PRC)

The targeted campaigns include those of Republican Reps. Michael McCaul (Texas) and Barry Moore (Ala.), along with Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.). The group also targeted Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who is not up for reelection this year.

The group behind these efforts, dubbed Taizi Flood, “parroted antisemitic messages, amplified accusations of corruption and promoted opposition candidates,” Microsoft said.

One campaign criticized Moore’s support for Israel and claimed the Alabama Republican used antisemitic language, the report found.

Nearly two dozen Taizi Flood accounts also circulated posts accusing Rubio of involvement in a financial corruption scheme. It follows a series of other targeted operations against Rubio, the vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, over the past two years, Microsoft said.

“China is becoming increasingly more aggressive and needs to be taken very seriously. China’s goal is to shape American opinion on critical issues and target specific candidates, especially those they view as anti-China,” Rubio said Wednesday.

As for Blackburn, posts circulated earlier this year promoting her opponent, Tennessee State Rep. Gloria Johnson (D), while Taizi Flood accounts distributed content accusing McCaul of “abusing power for personal gain. 

The targeted lawmakers slammed these influence efforts on Tuesday, while noting they are not surprised.

“We know that the CCP is antisemitic, so it isn’t surprising that they are targeting me and other politicians who support Israel to try sow division in advance of the most important election in our lifetime,” Moore wrote Tuesday about the Chinese Communist Party.

Blackburn said China’s threats against her are “nothing new,” especially in the wake of her scrutiny of TikTok’s ties to ByteDance, the social media platform’s Beijing-based parent company.

“The CCP will continue to try to carry out their malign attacks against me, but nothing will deter me from the mission: breaking China,” Blackburn wrote in a statement.

McCaul said he “considers it a badge of honor” when the CCP “takes issue” with his work. McCaul is the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

“The CCP cannot stand anyone who supports and gives a voice to those they oppress; their response is to sanction and attack,” he wrote. “I’ve made standing up to the CCP a central part of my career because I believe they pose a generational threat to the United States and our interests around the globe, and I won’t be intimidated by their scare tactics.”

A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy told The Hill presidential elections are domestic affairs for the U.S. and China has “no intention and will not interfere” with it.

“Meanwhile, we hope that the US side will not make an issue of China in the election. The ownership of the relevant social media accounts should be determined on the basis of solid evidence,” the spokesperson said.

“In recent years, some US officials, politicians, media and companies have accused China of using news websites and social media accounts to spread so-called disinformation in the US. Such allegations are full of malicious speculations against China, which China firmly opposes.

The Hill also reached out to the Harris campaign and Russian embassy to the U.S. for comment.

Microsoft’s report further found that Iranian actors are targeting election-related websites and media outlets. In one campaign, the actors circulated content urging Americans to boycott the elections in the wake of the candidates’ support for Israel.

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