From 2013 to 2018, the TV show “The Americans” documented a fictional case of how a pair of KGB agents became “husband-and-wife” in an arranged marriage to do some deep cover espionage against the United States during the Reagan Administration.
Nowadays, the world’s authoritarians don’t need to spend years prepping their agents for disinformation campaigns in America. They just target you via social media propaganda. If you want to fight back, vote, and push back against their “spamouflage.”
From Vladimir Putin’s Russia to Xi Jinping’s China, the world’s authoritarians aren’t our friends, no matter what some in our government say. They have embarked on a long-term campaign of misinformation, with the American voter in their crosshairs. Even Iran and North Korea have joined the spamouflage game, posing as angry American voters, making all kinds of wild claims, inflating conspiracy theories and trying to piss you off into not showing up on Election Day, because they think you’re pretty stupid. Show them that you’re not.
Mandiant, Google’s cybersecurity company reported “researchers found related material across multiple social media platforms, including videos purportedly from Americans that pushed pro-China messages and downplayed the effectiveness of voting,” according to NBC.
PBS found “Russian operatives are pumping out fabricated claims about Democratic candidates, AI-manipulated videos of celebrities and fake posts impersonating real news outlets in an effort to influence American voters in the final run-up to Election Day…. The goal is to exacerbate divisions, erode confidence in democracy.” Their Storm-1516 online attacks go after any Republican or Democrat that backs Ukraine.
CBS discovered that Iran is also attacking American democracy online. “The content isn’t subtle, but people are watching by the millions,” said the Senior Director of the Institute for Strategic Dialogue. “This kind of messaging, I think, is going to resonate the most with American audiences…This also requires almost no budget. This is just a guy with AI generation tools. So there’s been a democratization of propaganda. This is kind of outsourced to content creators.”
Years ago, I wrote about the #WalkAway “movement.” The attempt is to tell young voters and minorities that democracy doesn’t work, and not to vote, and simply “walk away.” When I told attendees of the American Political Science Association in Boston about this organization, I was surrounded by professors who wanted more information. They had all heard about it but didn’t know it was a “movement” (organic or a fabrication abroad…I do not know) that became amplified by Russian bots because it fit their antidemocratization strategy for America.
It’s not enough for these leaders to keep their populations under brutal totalitarian conditions, where a single voice of dissent can be deadly. They seek to export their methods to the United States of America, Europe, East Asia, or wherever there’s someone who can vote freely. They either want you to stay home or to vote for the kind of candidates who admire their undemocratic methods of governing.
They haven’t won yet. You can vote and pick candidates who truly support freedom and don’t cozy up to the world’s dictators. When you see some outrageous claims about our system or particular candidates, be smart and figure out motives, who benefits. Do a little fact-checking, vote, and encourage those online to answer their disinformation…while you still can.
John A. Tures is Professor of Political Science and Coordinator of the Political Science Program at LaGrange College, in LaGrange, Georgia. His first book, “Branded”, is available on Amazon. He can be reached at jtures@lagrange.edu.