Disinformation Depot is an ongoing series exploring the latest disinformation news, tactics, and trends as they are discovered and how they relate to the 2024 U.S. election cycle. May the honest candidates win!
Cybersecurity and disinformation researchers track threats globally as new tactics, strategies, or techniques emerge everywhere. This gives us better insight into the types of attacks that can be launched against our upcoming elections. Let’s dive in.
U.S. Adversaries LOVE America’s AI
Free and open platforms are just that: free and open! Microsoft recently learned this the hard way after discovering that Chinese, Russian, Iranian, and North Korean hackers were all using its AI tools. AI can write disinformation, infections, and more. The accused nations denied these accusations as Microsoft rolled out a ban on state-backed hacking groups, though how they will police that is yet to be seen.
X is a Haven for China’s Disinformation
Chinese propaganda is flourishing on X as Meta and Google step up their takedowns of the same content. In 2023, Meta discovered and removed 150 of these accounts spewing disinformation, and, as of February 2024, 136 of those accounts were still present on X. X also fired what appears to be most, if not all, of its Election Integrity Team, which has to have resulted in a round of high-fives at various adversarial intelligence agency offices.
The Former President Blames AI for Unflattering Golf Photos
Donald Trump took to his social media platform to declare that new photos of him hitting major social media platforms were the work of “Fake News” using AI to make him look larger than he actually is. Whether the allegation is true or not, Trump posted his own comparison photos, and I’ll let you decide the truth here.
China’s Surveillance and Disinformation Machine Exposed
In what should be the largest security news item of 2024 so far, a major contractor for China’s Ministry of Public Safety was compromised, exposing their internal documentation. Aside from the terrifying news that this contractor, known as I-Soon, was hacking countries, cellular infrastructure, airlines, NATO, and more, the world learned of specialized software that helped the Chinese government-run damaging disinformation campaigns on X and other social media. If anything would unite a divided Congress, you’d think it would be the United States’ largest economic competitor trying to destabilize the population. C’est la vie.
Meta Unveils a New Team To Combat Disinformation… in the E.U.
In 2023, under the guise of stock performance, Meta deeply cut the teams responsible for policing U.S. political disinformation. Despite the explosion in A.I.-based disinformation on their platform, Meta hasn’t done much to help the situation or hire the literal army they need to combat this here in the U.S.
However, in the E.U., Meta is full steam ahead in protecting those elections. While I’m glad to see Meta take elections for U.S. allies seriously, they are leaving the general American population twisting in the proverbial wind as the most contentious election in our time looms. If you’re wondering why on earth Meta would protect the E.U. and not the U.S., it comes down to money. The E.U. has created the authority to fine Meta billions for non-compliance. We haven’t.
A Russian Twist in the Hunter Biden Situation
When the Hunter Biden “laptop” story broke in late 2020, I cautioned everyone to wait and see as we didn’t have a valid chain-of-custody for the laptop (or even a laptop since the FBI allegedly has it), nor all of the facts. Hate to say I told you so.
Alexander Smirnov, who told U.S. officials that Hunter Biden had been taking millions in bribes from Ukrainian energy company Burisma, just admitted he lied about pretty much the entire thing and received his intel from Russian handlers. Back in 2020, 51 U.S. intelligence officials published an open letter stating that this situation had all the hallmarks of a Russian intelligence operation. If only the world had listened.
And the disinformation doesn’t stop. Stay for the next article, as the closer the election looms, the more crazy it’s going to get!
An expert in cybersecurity and network infrastructure, Nick Espinosa has consulted with clients ranging from small business owners up to Fortune 100 level companies for decades. Since the age of 7, he’s been on a first-name basis with technology, building computers and programming in multiple languages. Nick founded Windy City Networks, Inc at 19 which was acquired in 2013. In 2015 Security Fanatics, a Cybersecurity/Cyberwarfare outfit dedicated to designing custom Cyberdefense strategies for medium to enterprise corporations was launched.
Nick is a regular columnist, a member of the Forbes Technology Council, and on the Board of Advisors for both Roosevelt University & Center for Cyber and Information Security as well as the College of Arts and Sciences. He’s also the Official Spokesperson of the COVID-19 Cyber Threat Coalition, Strategic Advisor to humanID, award-winning co-author of a bestselling book, TEDx Speaker, and President of The Foundation.
