NonilexAug 9, 2024
#Iran uses fake news sites to interfere in #US #election
#Microsoft’s threat report cites efforts of different Iranian groups to run #InfluenceCampaigns aimed at #political #extremes.
#Iran has stepped up its efforts to interfere in the Nov #election & amp up US #polarization, incl through #hacking attempts & fake news sites aimed at the far left & far right, #Microsoft researchers said Fri in a report.
#MediaLiteracy #ForeignInfluenceCampaign #ElectionInterference #USpol
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/08/09/iran-fake-news-microsoft-report/
Iran uses fake news sites to interfere in U.S. election, Microsoft says

The company’s threat report cites efforts of different Iranian groups to run influence campaigns aimed at political extremes.

The Washington Post
Show threadNonilex

The #Iran-built news networks include a site launched in Oct called “#NioThinker”, which focused on the #Israel-#Hamas #war before it started to publish articles on the coming #US #election. It takes a #liberal slant, calling #Trump an “opioid-pilled elephant in the MAGA china shop,” acc/to the report from Microsoft’s Threat Analysis Center.

#MediaLiteracy #ForeignInfluenceCampaign #ElectionInterference #USpol

Aug 9, 2024 at 4:48amWeb
Show threadNonilexAug 9, 2024
A related site aimed at #conservatives, “#SavannahTime”, writes on #Republican #politics & #LGBTQ issues. Some of the sites use #AI to plagiarize content from US sites, the company said. The “about us” blurb on the site reads, “We’re opinionated, we’re noisy, & we’re having a good time.”

#Iran #MediaLiteracy #ForeignInfluenceCampaign #ElectionInterference #USpol
Show threadNonilexAug 9, 2024

“They’ve laid the groundwork for #InfluenceCampaigns on trending #election-related topics & begun to activate these campaigns in an apparent effort to stir up controversy or sway voters — especially in swing states,” Clint Watts, the #ThreatCenter’s general manager, wrote in a blog accompanying the report. Since March, another #Iran-linked group has been posting in the guise of political & social activists & could escalate to #intimidation & #incitement, he warned.

#ElectionInterference #USpol