Racial tensions roiling US pose target for election meddling

tensions coursing through United States over racism and policing are likely targets for versaries seeking to influence vember election, lawmakers and experts warn — and re are signs that Russia is again seeking to exploit divide.

Earlier this year, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pulled down dozens of accounts with names like “Blacks Facts Untold” that h been followed or liked by hundreds of thousands of people. accounts were fake, created by an organization in Africa with links to Russia’s Internet Research ncy.

Similarly, this week Facebook anunced it h removed a network of accounts linked to IRA that h pushed out stories about race and or issues. network h tricked unwitting American writers to post content to ps.

It’s a troubling but familiar pattern from Russia, as IRA overwhelmingly focused on race and Black Lives Matter Movement when targeting U.S. in 2016. goal, part of Russian playbook for deces, was to sow chaos by posting content on both sides of racial divide. Indeed, “ single group of Americans was targeted by IRA information operatives more than African-Americans,” concluded a report from Senate intelligence committee.

With election just two months away, some lawmakers are worried that Russian efforts, w evolved and more sophisticated than four years ago, could again take hold. y fear Trump ministration's decision to limit what it tells Congress — and by extension American people — about election threats will allow propaganda to spre.

“Race was a big piece of what y did in 2016, and given heightened racial tensions this year, re’s reason y wouldn’t be doing same thing again,” says Maine Sen. Angus King, an Independent who sits on Senate intelligence committee. He says information that is w being limited “belongs to American people.”

Democrats were furious last weekend after Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, a close Trump ally, informed Congress that office would supply written information to intelligence committees about election threats but would longer be doing in-person briefings, denying lawmakers chance to ask questions.

cancellation came a few weeks after U.S. intelligence officials publicly stated that Russia is using a variety of measures to denigrate Trump's opponent, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, ahe of election. Trump responded to that assessment by saying that “body has been tougher on Russia than I have.”

Election interference has always been a sensitive subject for Trump. president has often dismissed idea that Russia interfered at all in 2016, and has replaced many long-serving intelligence officials with his own appointees.

intelligence statement did t offer specifics about what tactics Russia is using, but past provides important clues.

In 2016 IRA h an “overwhelming operational emphasis on race” that was apparent in online s it purchased — more than two-thirds contained a term related to race. company targeted that content to “African-Americans in key metropolitan areas with well-established black communities and flashpoints in Black Lives Matter movement,” according to a Senate Intelligence Committee report. One of its top performing ps, “Blactivist,” generated 11.2 million engments with Facebook users.

Bret Schafer, an expert on foreign disinformation with bipartisan group Alliance for Securing Democracy, said stoking racial animosity is a Kremlin strategy that goes back deces. His group tracked a major uptick in social media activity on racial issues from Russian state-sponsored media and political figures this summer, especially after killing of George Floyd at hands of Minneapolis police.

“We have seen a constant messaging me being race and racism in U.S.," Schafer said. "y’re very good at it.”

re is evidence that recent police shooting of a Black man in Kesha, Wisconsin, and resulting protests — focus of political sparring between Trump and Biden this week — have fueled a new round of social media activity from foreign governments.

English-langu media outlets linked to Russian government have published stories supporting protests, and “Cop Injustice in Kesha” is heline on a video posted by an online news organization with ties to Russia. Ar video from Kremlin-backed outlet Redfish shows Trump supporters driving aggressively through protesters in Portland, Oregon, where re have been protests for weeks.

stories are precisely kind of content lawmakers are trying to keep tabs on.

acting chairman of Senate intelligence panel, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, told a local news outlet this week that has spoken to Ratcliffe and expects in-person briefings to continue. But it is unclear if y will. top Democrat on panel, Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, says he has been working with Rubio to urge Ratcliffe to reverse decision.

“Ninety percent of information I’ve ever gained from any briefing is t from briefing, it’s from questions,” Warner said.

briefings are less likely to be reinstated in House intelligence committee, which is led by Democrats. House Intelligence Committee Chairman am Schiff said cancelling briefings is a “shocking abdication of its lawful responsibility.” He has urged vigilance on Russian meddling, ting that tactics have evolved but “ underlying malign goals remain same.”

intelligence committees are receiving some information from social media companies mselves, tably Facebook and Twitter. companies were slow to respond in 2016, but are w waging sophisticated efforts to root out foreign interference. Twitter stopped accepting political s, while Facebook began verifying identity of buyers in 2018 and this week said it will restrict new political s in 7 days before election.

Nina Jankowicz, disinformation fellow at npartisan Wilson Center, says re has been an improvement in tracking, but because issue of interference has been so politicized, Congress and public aren’t getting eugh information.

“What people need to be looking for is stuff that is seemingly trying to get a rise out of m,” Jankowicz said. “Don’t think you are going to find a troll. It’s about guarding yourself from emotional manipulation.”