Justice Department Disrupts Alleged Russian ‘Bot Farm’
Summary from the AllSides News Team
The Department of Justice took action against an AI-powered Russian “bot farm” that included 968 X accounts, it said in a statement on Tuesday.
The Details: The operation was allegedly founded by Russian state media RT’s (Lean Right bias) deputy editor-in-chief in 2022 to spread the news agency’s content online. U.S. officials claim Russia’s security service, the FSB, learned about the operation and subsequently co-opted it as an intelligence operation. Two domains used as part of the operation were U.S.-based, and the Justice Department contends the editor failed to comply with U.S. law after purchasing the domains.
Context: Russian influence on U.S. elections and media has been widely discussed in recent years. Last week, BBC News (Center bias) reported discovering a separate Russia-based disinformation network that used “fake news sites populated by stories rewritten by AI.”
Hamilton 68: In 2017, the Alliance for Securing Democracy’s Hamilton 68 list marked 600 X (then Twitter) accounts as Russian bots, a resource that many mainstream media outlets have cited since. In 2023, Twitter Files reporting by Matt Taibbi (Center bias) found that real Americans like journalists from Newsmax (Lean Right bias) and Consortium News were on this list.
Russian Response: RT's press office said in a statement, "Farming is a beloved pastime for millions of Russians."
How The Media Covered It: The story was covered across the spectrum, but mostly by the left and center. Despite releasing a statement, AllSides did not find coverage from RT on the matter.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
U.S. says Russian bot farm used AI to impersonate Americans
The U.S. Department of Justice said it disrupted a Russian propaganda campaign using fake social media accounts, powered by artificial intelligence, to spread disinformation in the U.S. and other countries.
The bot farm used AI to create profiles impersonating Americans on X, formerly known as Twitter, and to post support for Russia's war in Ukraine and other pro-Kremlin narratives.
It was part of a Kremlin-approved and funded project run by a Russian intelligence officer. The bot farm itself and the AI software behind it were organized by an unnamed editor...
From the Center
US officials uncover alleged Russian ‘bot farm’
US officials say they have taken action against an AI-powered information operation run from Russia, including nearly 1,000 accounts pretending to be Americans.
The accounts on X were designed to spread pro-Russia stories but were automated “bots” - not real people.
In court documents made public Tuesday the US justice department said the operation was devised by a deputy editor at Kremlin-owned RT, formerly Russia Today.
RT runs TV channels in English and several other languages, but appears much more popular on social media than on conventional airwaves.
The justice...
From the Right
DOJ Disrupts Suspected Russian Bot Farm
The U.S. Department of Justice recently seized control of two internet domains and searched 968 accounts on the X social media platform, which it accused of helping spread disinformation for the Russian government.
The seizures were part of an FBI investigation into an alleged artificial intelligence-enhanced social media bot farm that has created hundreds of fake social media profiles purportedly of U.S. residents, according to a June 27 search warrant affidavit. The affidavit says the accounts promoted messages that support Russian government objectives.
Federal investigators alleged Russian actors bought the...
AllSides Picks
September 5th, 2024
September 5th, 2024
September 6th, 2024
More News about Russia from the Left, Center and Right
From the Left
From the Center
From the Right
