Voters beware: FBI warns of election disinformation videos

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued an election disinformation warning on Saturday regarding two videos claiming to be from the FBI.

The first video “stat[es] the FBI has apprehended three linked groups committing ballot fraud and a second relating to the Second Gentleman.” The Second Gentleman refers to Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris’ husband Doug Emhoff. “These videos are not authentic, are not from the FBI, and the content they depict is false,” said the statement posted on the FBI’s X account.

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With the 2024 presidential election looming, misinformation and disinformation has been a major concern. False information about rigged voting machines, postponing election day, and fabricated polls are just a few examples of falsehoods running rampant on social media. While some may be from trolls, part of it could be a coordinated effort by from American adversaries to incite discord and chaos.

On Friday, Nov. 1, the FBI issued a joint statement with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) about two other videos believed to be the work of Russian disinformation efforts.

The first falsely depicts “individuals claiming to be from Haiti and voting illegally in multiple counties in Georgia.” The Georgia Secretary of State has also refuted this video as false. The second is a Russian manufactured video “falsely accusing an individual associated with the Democratic presidential ticket of taking a bribe from a U.S. entertainer.”

The agencies believe these videos are part of a larger strategy to undermine trust and inflame tensions relating to the election. “In the lead up to election day and in the weeks and months after, the IC [Intelligence Community] expects Russia to create and release additional media content that seeks to undermine trust in the integrity of the election and divide Americans.”

Here’s your reminder to stay vigilant about deepfakes and disinformation, especially AI-generated images and videos and use trusted sources for election information.