Pages from the US State Department’s Global Engagement Center report are seen in this photo. The State Department says Russia is using a well-developed online operation that includes a loose collection of proxy websites to stir up confusion around the coronavirus by amplifying conspiracy theories and misinformation. The department detailed a Russian-backed misinformation cycle that spreads false information online through state officials and state-funded media reports, by infiltrating US social media conversation, and leveraging a deceptive Internet framework of websites. — AP
CHICAGO: The US State Department says Russia is using a well-developed online operation that includes a loose collection of proxy websites to stir up confusion around the coronavirus by amplifying conspiracy theories and misinformation.
The disclosure on Wednesday was rare for the Trump administration, which has been cautious about blaming the Kremlin for disinformation campaigns, especially around the US election. Despite evidence that Russia launched a divisive disinformation operation on social media during the 2016 US presidential election, the State Department’s report did not examine how – if at all – Russia is waging another online influence campaign in this year’s election.
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