Russia Floods Social Media with Celebrity Deepfakes Ahead of U.S. Midterms
Researchers said the Kremlin-linked campaign is using stolen footage, fabricated audio and bot amplification to push divisive falsehoods and sway U.S. voters.
- A Russian disinformation campaign is targeting the upcoming US midterm elections, deploying deepfake videos that portray celebrities attacking the Democratic Party, researchers said.
- Disinformation researchers attribute the videos to Matryoshka, or Operation Overload, a Kremlin campaign using low-effort tactics like Cameo footage and inorganic bot activity consistent with methods deployed in German, Hungarian, and Armenian elections.
- Clips featuring manipulated footage of actors Alyson Hannigan and Eric Roberts falsely use CNN branding to depict them attacking Democrats. CNN officials condemned the "unauthorized" use of the network's logo.
- Targeted content already includes smears against Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff and Texas Senate hopeful James Talarico. Experts describe this as "the first salvo in Russia's targeting" of the November vote.
- The current administration has dismantled key foreign influence task forces and intelligence oversight offices, leaving the government with reduced capacity to counter such sophisticated operations as Russia escalates its influence efforts.
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Russian disinformation operators have targeted the US midterm elections and released a series of fake videos showing celebrities allegedly attacking Democrats, investigators said.
Elections in the United States: Russian Group Leads Disinformation Campaign Against Famous Democrats
Researchers warn about the dissemination of manipulated videos using the image of celebrities to discredit the Democratic camp as the mid-term elections approach A disinformation campaign
Russian disinformation campaign sets sights on US midterms
A Russian disinformation operation has turned its attention to the US midterm elections, unleashing a series of deepfake videos that depict celebrities attacking Democrats, researchers said, with more…
Clips created using stolen footage from the internet shows deepfakes of prominent US stars denouncing the Democrats. Disinformation researchers said the deepfake videos appeared to be the work of a Kremlin campaign known for posting social media with PhD videos.
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