Russia is planning on targeting specific voter demographics and swing states as part of its influence efforts ahead of the November election, U.S. intelligence officials say.
The three main countries that try to influence U.S. elections, Russia, China, and Iran, are all being watched by the U.S. intelligence community, with Russia going with a “whole of government approach” by going after presidential and congressional elections, alongside public opinion, an official with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence told reporters Tuesday.
“We are beginning to see Russia target specific voter demographics, promote divisive narratives, and denigrate specific politicians. Moscow seeks to shape electoral outcomes, undermine electoral integrity, and amplify domestic divisions,” the official said.
Russia seeks to “sway U.S. public opinion in U.S. swing states and diminish U.S. support for Ukraine,” through covert social media usage. The official also said they have recently seen the country attempt to appeal through encrypted direct messaging channels, in addition to social media.
Between China and Iran, officials believe the Chinese are approaching the election “more cautiously” and that they do not plan to influence the presidential race but that influence efforts are still ongoing.
“China for now does not plan to influence the outcome of the presidential race because it sees little gain in choosing between two parties that are perceived as both seeking to contain Beijing,” an ODNI official said Tuesday. “However, we are tracking efforts to influence the public more broadly. [China] is seeking to expand its ability to collect and monitor data on your social media platforms, probably to better understand and eventually manipulate public opinion.”
China is using nearly all social media platforms for its data collection efforts and is using TikTok in the same way it uses other platforms, an official said. While China is currently dormant in looking to influence the election, intelligence agencies are on the lookout for potential efforts to influence down-ballot races.
Iran is using protests over the war in Gaza to stoke divisions, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said in a statement on Tuesday.
“In recent weeks, Iranian government actors have sought to opportunistically take advantage of ongoing protests regarding the war in Gaza using a playbook we’ve seen other actors use over the years. We have observed actors tied to Iran’s government posing as activists online, seeking to encourage protests and even providing financial support to protesters,” Haines said.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Another concern for the intelligence community ahead of the election is generative artificial intelligence, with an ODNI official calling it a “malign influence accelerant.”
Last month, officials told reporters that influence threats flagged for the 2024 election was higher already than before the 2022 and 2020 elections.