Washington: On Tuesday, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) warned Americans of two new fake videos falsely giving terror threats and voter fraud, part of an ongoing wave of disinformation that officials anticipate will escalate as voters head to the polls on Election Day and in the weeks to follow.
One fabricated video, claiming to be from the federal law enforcement agency, falsely reported a high terror threat and urged Americans to “vote remotely.” Another video featured a fake press release from the agency, alleging that voting was rigged for inmates in five prisons.
Both the video are “not authentic” FBI said in a statement.
“Attempts to deceive the public with false content about FBI threat assessments and activities aim to undermine our democratic process and erode trust in the electoral system.” FBI added.
Federal, state, and local officials have warned Americans about efforts to undermine the election through misinformation, urging voters to seek credible information from reliable sources.
U.S. intelligence agencies have stated that this year’s election faces an unprecedented disinformation campaign from foreign adversaries, with Russia and others attempting to amplify divisive narratives, an accusation that Russia has denied.
On Monday, U.S. intelligence agencies warned that they anticipate overseas influence operations to “intensify through Election Day and in the coming weeks,” particularly in the seven key battleground states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
However, U.S. cybersecurity agency director Jen Easterly stated that her department has not found any evidence of activities that could directly affect the outcome of Tuesday’s election, despite the rise in disinformation.
(with agency input)
FBI Warns U.S. Voters About Fake Videos on ‘Terror Threats’ and ‘Voter Fraud’ world-news World News | Latest International News | Global World News | World Breaking Headlines Today
