Musk amplifies election disinformation about X. You can avoid it

Regardless of how you vote, know that foreign governments who view America as the enemy are trying to influence you and will continue to do so after Election Day. Check your sources.

The videos have been viewed millions of times on that stinking hole of misinformation formerly known as Twitter, and are still posted there despite being debunked as a foreign hoax trying to influence our elections with lies.

A man dishonestly assumes the identity of a former Minnesota high school student lobs false claims of sexual abuse by that state’s governor, Tim Walz, a former teacher and now the Democratic nominee for vice president.

Who would do this? And why? Our election history is a prologue when it comes to disinformation.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) recently determined that “Russian influence actors crafted and amplified inauthentic content alleging illegal activities” by Walz “in accordance with the influence efforts and tactics” used by the Russians during this election.

The Washington Post has tracked down the former student who impersonated in the video, saying it wasn’t him and that Walz hadn’t been his teacher.

Elon Musk, the multi-billionaire trying to buy Donald Trump’s way back in the White House, owns X and is a pernicious amplifier of election disinformation itself. No wonder he left the video for everyone to see.

American voters must do two crucial and patriotic things over the next nine days: vote for whichever presidential candidate you support, and dodge the brewing storm of disinformation. Here’s an optional third assignment: Ask yourself why this kind of disinformation more often than not leans so heavily toward helping Trump win.

Elon Musk is spreading misinformation about elections. Surprised?

This kind of nonsense comes in all sizes. The fake video about Walz attracted a lot of attention nationally, but disinformation is also aimed at the local level.

A post on X Thursday from an account dedicated to disinformation claimed to contain a video of it ballots cast for Trump were destroyed in Bucks County, a key Pennsylvania county where Vice President Kamala Harris received support from Republican voters 11 days ago.

Law Enforcement, from the local district attorney to the FBIbecame involved when the video racked up more than half a million views online before it was taken down.

This too was a forgery, a hoax deliberately posted to sow division. Bucks County Board of Elections issued a twofold statement “This deliberate spread of dangerous disinformation” was condemned on Thursday.

The ODNI denounced the fake video on Friday the work of “Russian actors” in an ongoing “broader effort to raise unfounded questions about the integrity of the U.S. election and to foment division among Americans.”

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David Becker, a former Justice Department attorney who founded this initiative The Center for Election Innovation and Researchtold me that disinformation this year is like “a repeat of the greatest hits of 2022 and 2020.”

Those elections contained many false claims about destroyed and counterfeit ballots, voting by dead people and non-citizens, and so on.

“The amplification of most of these can be traced back to Elon Musk and the accounts on Twitter he follows, known disinformation accounts, most of which mimic items we know have been spread by Russia, China and Iran,” Becker said.

The Wall Street Journal just reported this has been in regular contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin for almost two years. My standard rule about coincidences in politics has long been this: I just don’t believe in them.

Disinformation about elections has been increasing since 2016

Microsoft’s Threat Analysis Center warned Wednesday on “ongoing influence efforts by Russia, Iran and China aimed at undermining American democratic processes.” The Russians appear eager to damage Harris’ campaign, Microsoft said. The Iranians are targeting Trump on a smaller scale.

There was a website for a state office in Georgia that deals with absentee ballots the target of a failed cyber attacklikely from abroad, the system slowed down earlier this month but did not affect voters or ballots.

The ODNI on October 16 released a memo on foreign threats on our election predicting that China, Iran and Russia will continue disinformation and cyber attacks after the polls close on November 5 to sow division and confusion, and are “likely willing to at least consider tactics that could fuel violent protests or can contribute to this. “

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It is entirely predictable that America’s enemies would attempt to influence and undermine a close election for president. We’ve seen that before in the 2016 elections.

And The Russian state media was exposed last month for the flow of rubles into the income streams of three high-profile, right-wing agitators/influencers who then claimed that they were unaware that they were being financed with foreign money. It is, I think, just a coincidence that their opinions matched what the Russian government wanted to hear. What’s that rule about coincidences?

We are all, in different ways, the potential audience for this kind of disinformation. Recent opinion polls show that opinions about the election and what comes next vary depending on the political party. That seems like an opening for those bad actors to exploit.

We must stay focused on Election Day

Found a USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll from last week a very narrow breed between Harris and Trump, effectively linking them together. It also turned out that voters mainly have confidence in the election process and the people who lead it. But there were clear divisions when I dug into the numbers.

Of the 1,000 likely voters surveyed, 75% said yes accept the outcome if the candidate they support does not win. Nearly 90% of Democrats in the survey said that, while nearly 70% of Republicans agreed.

A similar number said they were very or somewhat confident that the election results will be accurately counted: 93% of Democrats felt this way, and 63% of Republicans agreed.

Confidence shifts by party when voters are asked about a peaceful transfer of power and the possibility of political violence: 59% of Democrats expect a peaceful transition, while 86% are concerned about violence. Of Republicans, 76% expect a peaceful transition, while 49% are concerned about violence.

No matter how you vote – Republican, Democrat, independent, etc. – know that foreign governments who view America as the enemy are trying to influence you now and will continue to do so after Election Day. Check your sources. Get your information directly from the state and local election officials who still have and deserve your trust.

Avoid the atmosphere. Don’t accept or amplify statements you see on the Internet just because they are feeling straight to you. That’s the hook for disinformation. Don’t swallow it.

Follow USA TODAY election columnist Chris Brennan on X, formerly known as Twitter: @ByChrisBrennan