Foreign Actors and Cybercriminals Likely to Spread False Information About 2020 Election Results, Says FBI
Press release from the FBI:
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) are issuing this announcement to raise awareness of the potential threat posed by attempts to spread disinformation regarding the results of the 2020 elections. Foreign actors and cybercriminals could create new websites, change existing websites, and create or share corresponding social media content to spread false information in an attempt to discredit the electoral process and undermine confidence in U.S. democratic institutions.
State and local officials typically require several days to weeks to certify elections’ final results in order to ensure every legally cast vote is accurately counted. The increased use of mail-in ballots due to COVID-19 protocols could leave officials with incomplete results on election night. Foreign actors and cybercriminals could exploit the time required to certify and announce elections’ results by disseminating disinformation that includes reports of voter suppression, cyberattacks targeting election infrastructure, voter or ballot fraud, and other problems intended to convince the public of the elections’ illegitimacy.
The FBI and CISA urge the American public to critically evaluate the sources of the information they consume and to seek out reliable and verified information from trusted sources, such as state and local election officials. The public should also be aware that if foreign actors or cyber criminals were able to successfully change an election-related website, the underlying data and internal systems would remain uncompromised.
RECOMMENDATIONS
- Seek out information from trustworthy sources, such as state and local election officials; verify who produced the content; and consider their intent.
- Verify through multiple reliable sources any reports about problems in voting or election results, and consider searching for other reliable sources before sharing such information via social media or other avenues.
- For information about final election results, rely on state and local government election officials.
- Report potential election crimes—such as disinformation about the manner, time, or place of voting—to the FBI.
- If appropriate, make use of in-platform tools offered by social media companies for reporting suspicious posts that appear to be spreading false or inconsistent information about election-related problems or results.
The FBI is responsible for investigating malign foreign influence operations and malicious cyber activity targeting election infrastructure and other U.S. democratic institutions. CISA is responsible for protecting the nation’s critical infrastructure from physical and cyber threats. The FBI and CISA provide services and information to uphold the security, integrity, and resiliency of the U.S. electoral processes.
VICTIM REPORTING AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The FBI encourages victims to report information concerning suspicious or criminal activity to their local field office (www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field). For additional assistance and best practices, and common terms, please visit the following websites:
- Protected Voices: www.fbi.gov/investigate/counterintelligence/foreign-influence/protected-voices
- Election Crimes and Security: www.fbi.gov/scams-and-safety/common-scams-and-crimes/election-crimes-and-security
- #Protect2020: www.cisa.gov/protect2020
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Can’t have them spreading false information about the election, that the job of the two people running for the office.
Cybercriminals like Facebook and Twitter?
The stage is set for a real shit show.
For sure we can trust our local and state leaders to tell us the truth……… “I wasn’t drunk, I don’t even drink, “ Nancy pelosi , owner of one winery and partner in a couple more stated to defend her drunken actions on tv. Plumbjack is hers and her nephews winery for an example.
That’s a very stupid comment. Many people are in the wine business in the the Bay Area, like the weed business here. Doesn’t have anything to do with their personal habits.
So , you own wineries , throw parties at said wineries , are witnessed drinking at said parties but since you say on tv you don’t drink that must be the truth right ?
Looks like you fell for some more Qanon bullshit. Great job.
https://www.tampabay.com/florida-politics/buzz/2020/08/04/politifact-nancy-pelosi-doesnt-drink-so-why-do-false-claims-about-her-being-drunk-keep-going-viral/
I did not fall for anything, I happen to know folks who have worked in her wineries and have seen her drinking. I know people who know her on a personal level and they have also told me she drinks , so ……
I happen to know folks who would agree with you on that Willie!
I know them on personal levels.
😉😂
PLEASE seek help.
You seem to have failed to follow the instructions in this announcement.
“….critically evaluate the sources of the information they consume and to seek out reliable and verified information from trusted sources…”
Translation: stop using Facebook, you fucking imbeciles. Stop believing everything you read or hear. Stop disseminating untrue statements. Use your brains, for once in your pathetic lives.
Right on!
This country is such a tinderbox right now it must be a tempting target for those who want to create chaos.
Yes. The democrat Global Capitalist party is definitely using it for all it’s worth….
I don’t agree with you.
These foreign actors and cybercriminals are even showing up here in the ‘comments section’.
Indeed they are but most of the outraged by the idea they might influence others fail to notice the most successful manipulators are targeting the easily outraged. Don’t worry about the undue influence on others until you are not yourself a shill for them.
When did they start calling immigrants “foreign actors”? It makes sense I guess, but many immigrants aren’t very political or subversive for that matter.
Most just want the wasteful American lifestyle of consumption and consumerism that we all take for granted.
😉
Foreign actors means Russian bots Macedonian teenagers, and Isreali Prime ministers. Not immigrants. Get your mind out of the gutter!
Not to mention the expatriated racist, pedophile, neo-nazi anime fans running 8chan, 8kun and 9gag.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/abcnews.go.com/amp/Politics/men-qanon/story%3fid=73046374
Lefties are just as bad as righties at recognizing when they are being manipulated. Probably more so. All that’s needed to get a lefty going is pandering to empty empathy while at least to get either a lefty or righty going they have to echo an already existing fear.
“As good marketers, professional trolls manipulate our emotions subtly. In fall 2018, for example, a Russian account we identified called @PoliteMelanie re-crafted an old urban legend, tweeting: “My cousin is studying sociology in university. Last week she and her classmates polled over 1,000 conservative Christians. ‘What would you do if you discovered that your child was a homo sapiens?’ 55% said they would disown them and force them to leave their home.” This tweet, which suggested conservative Christians are not only homophobic but also ignorant, was subtle enough to not feel overtly hateful, but was also aimed directly at multiple cultural stress points, driving a wedge at the point where religiosity and ideology meet. The tweet was also wildly successful, receiving more than 90,000 retweets and nearly 300,000 likes.”
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/russia-troll-2020-election-interference-twitter-916482/
There is a gulf of difference between retweeting something stupid and electing an oligarch that attempts to balkanizes NATO, disenfranchises as many Americans as possible, fucks up the CDC, fucks up the national response to a pandemic, pisses off all of our allies except for the totalitarians, gets our border to CANADA closed, sells our public school infrastructure off to private interests FOR STARTERS, and then VOTINTG FOR HIM AGAIN. Obama was a milquetoast neolib, but at least he wasn’t the fucking Manchurian Candidate!
Fuck NATO.
You didn’t read the link, did you? And, if you kept up with the non-troll news, you`d know that the allegations are so misrepresented, so exxagerated as to be exactly the result of swallowing troll bait whole.
Uh huh. Fuck Nato.
Upvote! For Geist
Agreed.
Which was the point. The left doesn’t know when they have been manipulated any more than the farthest right conspiracy theorist.
Well,I would be obliged if you could find one Democrat Congressman or Senator who publicly aired conspiracy-based suspicions about Bush or Cheney’s motivations for the Iraq invasion.
(Let’s just overlook that FOX viewers actually thought we found WMDs in Iraq for now)
Because Republican Senators voiced skepticism about Obama’s birthplace.
And now, we have a Republican President who lays a new conspiracy theory every time he’s recorded on mic.
🕯🌳Neither does the right. There was more misinformation directed at the right than the left due to gullibility.
Not at all. It’s just that the press is more liberal than average Americans and therefore more likely to repeat anti right wing stories no matter how questionable they are. The thing that makes scams possible is to present ideas in ways that people want believe in already. So the scams the left swallow without question is just what you repeated in your comment- it’s the right that is stupid enough to believe what the left is knows is wrong. “The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming” repeats the liberal to the Russian bot right next to him, as the Bot incites his abuse of other Americans. The left is just as poisoned as the farthest ring wing conspiracy buff and the poison tastes good.
Duh! Every election as long as I remember … As we do to other countries they do to us… Nothing new.. But pretend is all just now happening… Don’t go to social media for anything of importance geez!
Look at these comment sections or even what passes as news with skepticism too because there is little original thinking going on and a lot of echoing.
I just heard Jo Jorgensen is polling at 55%.
[^^^that’s not true^^^]
Hey everyone, did you know there’s a women running for president who is on ballots in all 50 states?
The false information spread is the idea that our choices are limited to 2 political parties.
I’ve been trying to discuss this with friends. Most people’s answers have something to do with a wasted voted if you opt for a third party. It’s very frustrating when this is the mentality.
I most definitely do.
https://asunow.asu.edu/20171106-solutions-would-america-benefit-three-party-political-system
The only trouble with third parties in a non parliamentary system is that splitting the vote two ways in a close race guarentees victory to goes to the candidate who is not in competition for those votes.
“Americans’ approval of Congress’ job is 18%…” -Gallup
We can have a 2 party system; it just doesn’t need to be elephants and asses.
“The Squad” and Trump both prove that, indeed, we do have to be elephants and asses. Socialists and Democratic-Socialists need to pretend to be democrats to win, and Libertarians and Fascist Fucks must pretend to be Republicans to win. That’s life in a “First-Past-The-Post” system.
Even with a well known candidate such as Teddy Roosevelt, a third party run is only a spoiler. His attempt let Woodrow Wilson win with about 42٪ of the popular vote. Maybe with an organization of years in duration but at this point it is too late to have a chance of winning. And what socialist is going to vote for a candidate who believes in government restraint when they believe in government control?
Those who carry on the fake news, will be most triggered by the headline, and will almost certainly obfuscate the point with ridiculous thoughts of their own.
Bloviation and pre-emptive abuse does not demonstrate perspicacity.
For you to call my one sentence bloviating is astonishing for your normally lengthy comments.
But it’s also not true that stating a likely fact is not pre-emptive abuse.
Thus, maybe there I was perspicacious.
Thanks.
If you are capable of even knowing what is likely much less a fact.
97% of ALL mainstream media outlets, CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS ETC. are owned and controlled by 6 different people. 6 obscenely wealthy and criminally influential individuals who just happen to be Jewish purely by coincidence, definitely nothing shady going on, its merely another coincidence, and remember pointing out patterns and recognizing reoccurring trends is antisemitism, the acknowledgment that individuals from a certain demographic ALWAYS show up in when propaganda, politics, money, and control are at hand is nothing to speak of. Yeah so what they only make up 1/4 of 1/2 of 1% of the population and control 60% of the world’s wealth, its just a coincidence!
If you weren’t being sarcastic, what does it matter whether they are Jewish or not? That statement reeks of Nazism or Communism in its belief in its own propaganda. If people are pretty much such morons they can be pushed around so easily, they are doomed no matter who is pushing their buttons.
Communism is and always has been Jewish. You need to learn some history, friend.
Citation…?
Or did you pick this up at the pointy hat party?
Yup. Mao was a jew for sure.
yet the GOP funds Kanye West’s presidential bid in a very lame attempt to take voters away from Biden. did they not think that would backfire? Fox News is not considered a trusted news source international for a reason. when trump opens his mouth it is always lies and Fox either seeded that lie or promotes it.. as always time is the solution for every problem which is why the US Generals are keeping their mouths shut in response to trumps bullshit. and many jewish people are very rich for a reason.
Thanks for the Nazi perspective.
[edit]
Another racist ass day in Humboldt is complete.
If our “society” was really concerned about “foreign actors”, we wouldn’t have set up our “society” to be completely dependent on the “ internet”.
Further, we wouldn’t be flooding our society with low end immigrants and high tech foreign workers(foreign actors) and we wouldn’t be offering up our hard built institutions to all this education tourism foreign exchange bullshit.
People act like only the Russians are fucking with us.
Literally every country on the planet wants to take us down, and most of our own “citizenry” seem to be yawning endlessly at the pathetic spectacle we have become.
The election is the last thing I’m worried about.
If I had to pick now, after already registering republican, I’d take Barbie Sanders over Blow Job Biden, that’s for sure
We need nationalist re-education camps for our own degenerated people, and fast!
You forgot the big one …we wouldn’t be sending our jobs, which used to raise american families, overseas. How can we have a strong economy and society if we let the Global Capitalist bypass the American Workers and have everything made by communist Slave Wage China….we can’t.
Is this the same FBI that said there was no reliable evidence that arsonists were responsible for any of the fires this year?
Not that there’s anything to worry about — social media censors anything they don’t believe in and the news is all biased shit.
Maybe the FBI should go back to fighting crime and let us make our own decisions.
FBI said no antifa behind arson. https://www.bendsource.com/bend/stop-with-the-antifa-arson-rumors-fbi-says/Content?oid=13250207
That’s what he said….he just doesn’t believe everything the politically biased FBI tells him….but, you knew that.
“Maybe the FBI should go back to fighting crime and let us make our own decisions.”
Counterintelligence, which includes monitoring and preventing foreign interference in elections, is central to the FBI’s mission.
Try to keep up, Steve.
Fake news sucks.. but really..if Boring ole’Biden doesn’t start making a presence and raising awareness..and the energy.. Give people something to vote “FOR” seriously.. the Democrats will have no one to blame but themselves for botching this election. They seem very quite.. too quiet for aLL that America has gone thru. Biden’s campaign seems to rely on the issue that he’s not Trump. That’s a poor strategy. I know Covid has an impact but seriously. Lots of folks are struggling all across America right now.. the Democrats haven’t even addressed Unemployment which will end VERY soon, instead they took their long ass vacation and did NOTHING. Seriously it’s really not looking good for the Democrats.. is that by design? Maybe. I think the top Democrats are enjoying Trumps tax cuts for the wealthy, I don’t think they have any real intentions on stopping Trump. There is only one party that truly rules America.. that’s the $$$ party.
I will vote for Biden. Unfortunately… To not vote for Biden is a vote FOR Trump bottom line. Not happy about it at ALL. I would just like to see SOME sort of sanity restored to D.C..
Only one candidate is going to stand up to the Global Capitalist and bring the troops home, and bring the jobs home. Biden is guanteed to use the military to fight for the Global Capitalist interest overseas, just like all the other carreer politicians of the past decades. And Biden is guaranteed to give Global Capitalist unlimited access to Slave Wage Labor in counties like China. Trump is already moving with tariffs and economic decoupling from china to bring the jobs home. You cannot have a healthy economy without industry, industry is the foundation of a coutries economic health. We as consumers should be supporting American jobs and industry, not communist Slave Wage China. Free Trade is THE problem in America. It is destroying our working class backbone of society. We see where this nation of consumers trip is going, and it’s not good. Trump 2020….or just watch the Global Capitalist drain what’s left of this country.
https://jamestown.org/program/jamestown-early-warning-brief-xinjiangs-system-of-militarized-vocational-training-comes-to-tibet/
In light of the wankers on both sydes, real unchecked tyranny awaits if we can’t break the chains that bind.
China style societal control should be a wake up call to everyone who values freedom and individual liberty.
Yes it should be a wake up call…but…the “woke” are really asleep. The “anti-fascist” are really fascist. And “anti-racist” are really the racist….Orwell was right, the masses are easy to manipulate, so I don’t think they’ll wake up to reality any time soon. By the time the masses wake up, it’ll be too late, just like all the other “revolutions”…the pawns always regret it. And always too late, after the damage has been done.
“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice,
shame on me.” -2016
🕯🌳You really like talking to yourself.
THE INTERNET LIES, THEREFORE ENGAGE IN MORE INTERNET. YOUR ONLY SOCIAL IS MEDIA.
Johnson, Grassley Release Report on Conflicts-of-Interest Investigation
Wednesday, September 23, 2020
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, released a report that revealed millions of dollars in questionable financial transactions between Hunter Biden and his associates and foreign individuals, including the wife of the former mayor of Moscow and individuals with ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
These were just some of the findings from their investigation into potential conflicts of interest arising from Hunter Biden accepting a position on the board of, and taking millions of dollars from, Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company with a long-standing reputation for corruption, while his father, Joe Biden, was vice president and the public face of the Obama administration’s handling of Ukraine policy.
Findings from the chairmen’s investigation include:
In early 2015 former Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, George Kent raised concerns to officials in Vice President Joe Biden’s office about the perception of a conflict of interest with respect to Hunter Biden’s role on Burisma’s board. Kent’s concerns went unaddressed and in September 2016, he emphasized in an email to his colleagues, “Furthermore, the presence of Hunter Biden on the Burisma board was very awkward for all U.S. officials pushing an anticorruption agenda in Ukraine.”
In October 2015, senior State Department official Amos Hochstein raised concerns with Vice President Biden, as well as with Hunter Biden, that Hunter Biden’s position on Burisma’s board enabled Russian disinformation efforts and risked undermining U.S. policy in Ukraine.
Hunter Biden was serving on Burisma’s board (supposedly consulting on corporate governance and transparency) when Burisma owner Mykola Zlochevsky allegedly paid a $7 million bribe to officials serving under Ukraine’s prosecutor general, Vitaly Yarema, to “shut the case against Zlochevsky.” George Kent testified that this bribe occurred in December 2014 (seven months after Hunter Biden joined Burisma’s board), and, after learning about it, he and the resident legal adviser reported this allegation to the FBI.
In addition to the over four million dollars paid by Burisma to Hunter Biden and his business partner, Devon Archer, for membership on the board, Hunter, his family, and Archer received millions of dollars from foreign nationals with questionable backgrounds.
Devon Archer received $142,300 from Kenges Rakishev of Kazakhstan, purportedly for a car, the same day Vice President Joe Biden appeared with Ukrainian Prime Minister Arsemy Yasenyuk and addressed Ukrainian legislators in Kyiv regarding Russia’s actions in Crimea.
Hunter Biden received a $3.5 million wire transfer from Elena Baturina. Ms. Baturina is the wife (widow) of the former mayor of Moscow.
Hunter Biden had business associations with Ye Jianming, Gongwen Dong, and other Chinese nationals linked to the Communist government and People’s Liberation Army. Those associations resulted in millions of dollars in questionable transactions.
Hunter Biden opened a bank account with Gongwen Dong that financed a $100,000 global spending spree with James Biden and Sara Biden.
Hunter Biden also moved millions of dollars from his law firm to James Biden’s and Sara Biden’s firm. Upon being questioned about the transaction, Sara Biden refused to provide supporting documentation and information to more clearly explain the activity. The bank subsequently closed the account.
Hunter Biden paid nonresident women who were nationals of Russia or other Eastern European countries and who appear to be linked to an “Eastern European prostitution or human trafficking ring.”
As outlined in Senate resolution 70, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee has the express authority “to study or investigate… the efficiency and economy of operations of all branches of the government, including the possible existence of… corruption or unethical practices… [and] conflicts of interest.” The Senate Finance Committee has broad jurisdiction over the United States Government and, the Department of Treasury and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), which includes oversight jurisdiction over potential financial crimes.
A copy of the full report is available here.
https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/media/majority-media/johnson-grassley-release-report-on-conflicts-of-interest-investigation
Of course Putin wants Trump in, he destabilizes the West in general, and the US specifically.
The report concludes this however, as the only real takeaway:
..the extent to which Hunter Biden’s role on Burisma’s board affected U.S. policy toward Ukraine is not clear
gee whiz Batman, that sounds like the conclusion of the multi million dollar Trump-Russia probe. “The committee found that there was “no evidence” of coordination between Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and the Kremlin. ” https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/27/house-intel-panel-releases-final-report-on-russian-election-interference-marking-end-of-its-politically-charged-probe.html. The Senate probe was lots cheaper.
Test
no one is listening. and FYI the FBI just cleared Hunter with no wrong doing, etc.
you were