FBI sets up 24/7 National Election Command Post to handle security threats
The FBI has established a 24/7 National Election Command Post in Washington, D.C., to address any threats that may arise before and after Election Day. This weeklong effort brings together over a dozen federal agencies and roughly 80 personnel per shift to monitor for federal election crimes, cyber threats, foreign interference and domestic terrorism risks.
The FBI’s Election Command Post is based in the Strategic Information and Operations Center at FBI headquarters. Agents and officials are prepared to respond to threats as results come in.
Agencies supporting this operation include the Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Capitol Police and the U.S. Secret Service, among others.
Each of the FBI’s 55 field offices are also operating local command posts. The offices are working closely with state and local election officials to pass on relevant tips and complaints.
James Barnacle is the deputy assistant director of the Criminal Investigative Division of the FBI. He said they’re prepared for the election.
“We feel like we’re well positioned to handle and triage information that comes in. We have the people in place,” Barnacle said.
The NECP’s mission is to protect the election process from potential disruptions while ensuring that information flows swiftly between federal, state and local partners.
This multiagency effort will continue through at least Nov. 9, handling all significant complaints and any incidents that could impact election integrity.
X’s community notes failing to fact-check posts: Report
X’s Community Notes is failing to fact-check posts containing inaccurate information, according to a new report from the Center for Countering Digital Hate. According to X, “Community Notes aims to create a better-informed world, by empowering people on X to collaboratively add helpful notes to posts that might be misleading.”
The Center for Countering Digital Hate conducted an analysis of election posts on the social media platform. It found 209 out of 283 misleading posts in their sample had accurate Community Notes that aren’t shown to all X users. This equates to about 74%.
The report states some of the inaccurate claims include allegations Democrats are importing illegal voters and false claims about former President Donald Trump. Other claims assert voting systems are unreliable and claim the 2020 presidential election was stolen.
Misleading posts about election information have garnered 2.2 billion views. That’s 13 times more views than their Community Notes, the report states.
X’s owner, Elon Musk, hasn’t yet publicly commented on the report. In the past, he has said X’s Community Notes feature isn’t perfect. However he claims it’s the best fact-checking he’s seen on the internet.
Musk describes himself as a free-speech absolutist. He has stated several times that free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy.
Russia, Iran, China targeting US voters with election disinformation
Foreign actors are ramping up sophisticated disinformation campaigns ahead of the 2024 U.S. presidential election, according to intelligence officials. The campaigns, led by Russia, Iran and China, seek to erode trust in American democracy through targeted influence across multiple platforms.
In 2016, Russian efforts to interfere in the U.S. election were often clumsy. Officials said they relied on divisive content that was easy to spot.
Getty Images
On Tuesday, Oct. 29, foreign influence campaigns are more advanced, with Russia reportedly supporting Donald Trump, Iran favoring Kamala Harris and China concentrating on state-level interference.
Michael Casey, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, confirms ongoing interference attempts. He said foreign influence now stretches beyond social media to chat groups, messaging apps and niche forums.
Using platforms like Telegram, Gab and networks run by American expatriates, these efforts are diversifying. Expats like former Florida police officer John Mark Dougan allegedly helped spread fabricated news and deepfakes.
Iran has also set up websites like Not Our War and Afro Majority to target veterans, Black Americans and conservative voters in specific states. China continues more subtle tactics to undermine the U.S. on a local level.
Security officials urge Americans to be vigilant as the election approaches. They suggest verifying content sources and avoid sharing inflammatory information without scrutiny.
Nearly 3 in 4 older Americans don’t trust AI for health information
As artificial intelligence gets smarter, it’s being used for more and more purposes every day, including health care. While many people turn to the web for health information, some are less likely to trust what they find than others — especially when the information is generated by artificial intelligence.
Nearly 3 in 4 adults (74%) older than 50 say they have little to no trust in AI-generated health information, according to a new University of Michigan poll. However, more than half (58%) of adults over 50 say they have looked for health information on the web over the past year.
Those surveyed were asked if they think they’re able to find and identify accurate health information. A lot of them did — only 20% said they didn’t think they’d be able to spot misinformation.
A third of respondents who did look online for answers said it was easy for them to find accurate health information.
The survey also found trust in AI-generated information was different based on demographics. Researchers found women, those with less education or lower household income and those who hadn’t been to the doctor in the past year were even less likely to trust the AI-generated health information they found online.
Russia spreading lies about US hurricanes to win war in Ukraine: Study
More lies and conspiracy theories are reportedly coming to Americans from the Kremlin. Russia has long been accused of sowing division and now it’s being discovered that those efforts appear to be ramping up ahead of the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential election.
A study released on Thursday, Oct. 24, shows Russia has been spreading misinformation about recent hurricanes in the United States and the federal government’s response. It’s reportedly part of an ongoing effort to meddle in the country’s political debates.
Researchers say that Russian state media, social media accounts and websites are all involved. They said the groups are trying to frame the federal response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton in a negative light. They believe the goal is to show American leaders as incompetent or corrupt.
The London-based organization behind the study said this is how Moscow disinformation groups infiltrate U.S. households, by taking advantage of polarizing issues to cast doubt on the American government and each other.
Melanie Smith, the director of the research group,said disinformation actors capitalize on natural disasters by “simply pouring gasoline on fires that already exist.”
The false claims nclude false assertions that the Federal Emergency Mangement Agency (FEMA) is diverting funds to aid migrants and conspiracy theories of government weather manipulation.
The conspiracy theories may have serious consequences as well. One man who was arrested for threatening FEMA workers in North Carolina said he was motivated by false social media claims that the agency was withholding supplies from Hurricane Helene victims.
Analysts believe that Russia’s war against Ukraine is the main motivator for spreading lies. They note that if Russia can convince enough Americans to oppose U.S. support of Kyiv, Moscow’s path to victory in Ukraine gets much easier.
Foreign countries influencing 2024 election, Microsoft says
With less than two weeks until the 2024 U.S. presidential election, foreign adversaries are increasing their efforts to disrupt the democratic process, Microsoft warns. Russia, Iran and China are targeting key political campaigns and voters using cyber tactics and disinformation, according to a report from the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center.
Russia has concentrated its influence operations on the Harris-Walz campaign, according to Microsoft. Russian operatives have created AI-generated deepfake videos aimed at discrediting Vice President Kamala Harris.
One video falsely depicts her insulting former President Donald Trump, while another accuses her of illegal activities in Zambia.
Disinformation targeting Democratic vice-presidential nominee Tim Walz has also gained traction. One video has received more than 5 million views on social media.
Iranian hackers, tracked by Microsoft as “Cotton Sandstorm,” have been probing U.S. election-related websites and media outlets.
Despite ongoing tensions in the Middle East, Iranian operatives are preparing for cyber-influence operations targeting U.S. audiences. This is similar to their 2020 operation posing as the right-wing group Proud Boys. This time, Iran is encouraging voters to boycott the election, claiming U.S. support for Israel undermines candidates.
China, meanwhile, is focusing its disinformation efforts on down-ballot Republican candidates who advocate for anti-China policies. Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Marco Rubio, along with Rep. Barry Moore, have been targeted with accusations of corruption and amplified antisemitic messaging. Though these efforts have not seen high engagement, they represent China’s sustained attempts to influence U.S. political discourse.
Microsoft reports that all three countries are using AI to spread disinformation rapidly. As Election Day approaches, these foreign interference operations are expected to increase, undermine voter confidence and cast doubt on the integrity of the results. Early detection and fact-checking are critical to counter these efforts, Microsoft says.
TikTok approves 50% of political ads containing false information: Study
Social media platforms TikTok and Facebook are under scrutiny for failing to detect harmful disinformation advertisements ahead of the U.S. presidential election. A new investigation by Global Witness reveals that these platforms are still allowing misleading content to slip through their moderation systems.
In a report, Global Witness tested the election integrity commitments of TikTok, Facebook and YouTube by submitting eight advertisements containing false election claims.
Reuters
The ads were deliberately designed to breach the platforms’ policies and were submitted using “algospeak,” a technique that employs numbers and symbols to bypass content moderation filters.
TikTok approved 50% of the submitted ads. Facebook accepted one ad with harmful disinformation, an improvement from its previous performance during the 2022 midterm elections. YouTube initially approved 50% of the ads but later blocked all of them until formal identification was submitted, a more robust barrier against disinformation compared to the other platforms.
Although TikTok has improved from approving 90% of submitted disinformation ads in 2022, its ongoing issues are particularly notable given its strict policy against political content.
The platform, already under scrutiny due to potential foreign interference, faces further examination for its role in U.S. political discourse.
TikTok acknowledged that the ads submitted by Global Witness breached its advertising policies and stated that its machine moderation system had erroneously approved them.
The platform indicated that it would use the findings to retrain its moderation system. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, did not respond to requests for comment.
Harris, Trump turn to PA with 3 weeks to go until Election Day
With exactly three weeks until Election Day, both candidates have their sights set on Pennsylvania. And NASA has launched its ambitious plan to visit the largest planet in our solar system in hopes of making a new discovery. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024.
Harris, Trump turn to PA with 3 weeks to go until Election Day
With just three weeks until Election Day, the 2024 presidential candidates are focusing on the key battleground states — and none may be as important as Pennsylvania and its 19 electoral votes. Both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump took their message once again to the Keystone State on Monday, Oct. 14, each believing that if they win Pennsylvania, they will win the election.
Harris held a rally in the northwestern city of Erie, where Trump visited a few weeks ago. The vice president painted her opponent as a threat to American democracy, warning her supporters of what she calls the dangers of another Trump presidency.
“I believe so strongly that a second Trump term would be a huge risk for America and dangerous,” she said. “Donald Trump is increasingly unstable and unhinged, and he is out for unchecked power. That’s what he’s looking for.”
Harris also urged Pennsylvanians to get out to vote early as mail-in voting is now underway in the state.
Also Monday, former President Trump spoke during a town hall in Oaks, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. He touched on claims he’s a threat to democracy.
“When they talk about a threat to democracy, how about where they take a candidate who won fair and square, they throw them out and they put up a woman who failed, was the first one to drop out of a field of 22 and got no votes?” he said. “And this is the person we’re running against. And she is not a smart woman. That’s true. And we cannot — we’ve had that for four years. We’re not going to have it for another four years.”
Trump cut his town hall short after two attendees required medical attention, with both the former president and moderator South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem commenting on the heat in the venue. Trump then requested music be played for the remainder of the event.
Trump will be back in Georgia on Tuesday as the focus on the battleground states intensifies.
Along with rallies, the candidates are continuing their media tour to reach voters. The vice president will take part in a town hall Tuesday, Oct. 15, hosted by the radio program “The Breakfast Club” and then she will appear on Fox News on Wednesday, Oct. 16.
The group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators staged a sit-in demanding an end to U.S. support for Israel’s war against Hamas. While none of the protesters got into the stock exchange, dozens did cross the security fence put in place by police.
A New York Police Department spokesperson said officers arrested 206 people.
Since the war in Gaza started just over a year ago, more than 42,000 Palestinians have been killed and almost the entire population has been displaced, according to Gaza health officials.
North Carolina man arrested for allegedly threatening FEMA workers
Investigators in North Carolina arrested and charged a man with threatening to harm FEMA workers who were helping parts of the state devastated by Hurricane Helene.
According to the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office, William Parsons, 44, is charged with “going armed to the terror of the public” — a misdemeanor.
In a statement, the sheriff said while initial reports indicated there was a group of armed militia members threatening FEMA workers, they found Parsons acted alone. Officials said he did have a handgun and a rifle in his possession when arrested.
The arrest followed misinformation and disinformation being spread about FEMA in the wake of the natural disaster and caused FEMA to change the way it was working to help people impacted by Helene because of concerns over workers’ safety.
NASA launches mission to find signs of life on Jupiter moon
The mission, dubbed Europa Clipper, started its long journey to Jupiter’s fourth largest moon on Monday. It’s expected to enter the planet’s orbit in 2030 after a flight of 1.8 billion miles.
Pair of giant pandas set to arrive at the National Zoo
Eleven months after the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. Said goodbye to its giant pandas, two new ones are on their way. The pair of giant pandas have officially left a research facility in China and are set to be flown to D.C., according to Chinese officials.
It’s not yet clear when they’ll arrive. The zoo’s website still says new pandas will be coming by the end of the year, however, on Monday, the Zoo did announce it will be closed Tuesday for the safety of the pandas and staff.
The return of panda diplomacy between China and the U.S. has already seen a pair delivered to the San Diego Zoo with another promised to San Francisco.
2,471-pound pumpkin wins world championship
A 2,471-pound pumpkin won the 51st World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-off Monday in Half Moon Bay, California, south of San Francisco, defeating its closest competitor by six pounds.
TikTok removes Russian state media accounts for ‘covert influence’ operations
TikTok removed accounts linked to Russian state media outlets for allegedly engaging in covert influence operations ahead of the U.S. election. TikTok previously restricted the Russian state media accounts’ visibility in the European Union and United Kingdom.
The social media company cited violations of community guidelines, particularly the ban on deceptive behavior. TikTok defined these alleged Russian operations as “coordinated, inauthentic behavior” where account networks collaborate to mislead users and influence public discourse.
The platform’s move coincides with federal charges against two employees at RT, a Russian state-controlled TV network, accused of running a $10 million project to promote Russia-aligned narratives while concealing the funding source.
Meta recently implemented a global ban on RT and other Russian state media networks. Facebook and Instagram’s parent company cited deceptive tactics used for online influence campaigns.
The Kremlin claimed that tech companies are “discrediting themselves” by banning Russian networks.
Meanwhile, TikTok itself faces a potential ban in the United States due to data security concerns.
Some other social media platforms, such as X, have maintained a different stance, allowing RT and Sputnik accounts to remain active.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., signed a law Tuesday, Sept. 17, banning the use of AI-generated deepfakes in political campaigns, marking the nation’s most aggressive regulation of artificial intelligence in elections. The law targets deepfakes that impersonate political candidates and spread misinformation ahead of the 2024 election.
The Associated Press
Newsom introduced the legislation after Elon Musk shared a manipulated video of Vice President Kamala Harris, which falsely depicted her as an incompetent candidate. The governor stated that deepfakes threaten the integrity of democratic elections and needed to be addressed urgently.
The law allows courts to block deceptive content and imposes civil penalties on those who distribute it. Starting next year, social media platforms will be required to remove flagged deepfakes. Additionally, political ads using AI must include disclaimers to inform the public about altered content.
Musk, a frequent critic of Newsom, attacked the law on his social media platform X. He compared Newsom to “The Joker” and argued that the legislation infringes on free speech. He accused the governor of trying to outlaw political parody and satire. Musk’s posts reignited debates about the balance between free speech and preventing misinformation.
This law comes at a pivotal time as AI-generated videos are expected to play a significant role in the 2024 presidential election. While supporters claim the law is necessary to protect voters, critics warn it could stifle free expression. As the legal debate continues, California remains at the forefront of AI regulation in politics.
