Key Points
- More than 900 social media accounts are taken down in the Russian bot farm dismantling.
- Controlled by the RT editor, with leadership approval.
- Disinformation was spread about the Russia-Ukraine war through bots.
- AI software Meliorator is used to avoid detection on X.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the seizure of two domain names and more than 900 social media accounts connected to a complex Russian bot farm.
These accounts were created to look like real Americans and were used to distribute false information about the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Among other things, videos featuring Russian President Vladimir Putin justifying the invasion of Ukraine were shared.
DOJ seizes “bot farm” operated by the Russian government https://t.co/3PZlQZRAJw via @Verge
— Kathy Thornett (@ThornieKate) July 10, 2024
The Operation and Its Players
According to an FBI affidavit, an RT (formerly Russia Today) employee organized this operation. With the blessing of RT’s leadership, the bot farm was set up to amplify the publication on social media platforms.
Two domain names were purchased from Arizona-based company Namecheap and email servers were created off of them. These servers allowed for the creation of 968 email addresses which in turn established social media accounts.
In early 2023, another level was added: a member of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) formed a private intelligence organization that included a deputy editor and other RT employees.
The objectives of this group aligned with those of FSB; however instead of simply broadening RT’s audience they planned on disseminating disinformation using a network of fake accounts controlled by bots posing as US citizens sympathetic towards Moscow’s position vis-a-vis Kyiv.
AI-Enhanced Bot Farm
A joint cybersecurity advisory by Canada, The Netherlands, and the United States provides technical details about how this was done: The meliorator system which uses artificial intelligence technology enabled these machines to have realistic profiles making them harder to detect as non-human operated profiles.
Biographical data including political affiliation location etcetera is assigned to each botalong with what is called its “soul” so that it appears more genuine when interacting online under various conditions(e.g., different parts of country/world, different interests etc.).
Legal and Economic Implications
According to the DOJ, this bot farm operation violates the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). This act allows for economic sanctions to be imposed by the president on foreign governments or entities engaging in activities that pose an unusual threat to national security.
Under IEEPA, several orders and regulations have been enacted that prohibit U.S persons from providing funds goods, or services without authorization Treasury Department to Specially Designated Nationals. The bot farm’s activities squarely fall within these prohibitions given their intention was to spread fake news at the direction Russian government.
The US has taken action against another foreign-run disinformation campaign, this time targeting a Russian-operated bot farm. As social media platforms continue to shape public opinion at unprecedented levels in our society today there should be no room for tolerance when it comes to keeping them clean from any type of manipulation.
