US spy agencies are ready to warn voters about foreign election interference – if it is serious enough

U.S. intelligence agencies are closely monitoring attempts by foreign adversaries to influence the 2024 elections through “deepfakes” or other false information and stand ready to warn the public if necessary, officials said Wednesday.

The decision to notify the public about attempted election interference by foreign actors would be up to the leaders of the country’s intelligence agencies, including intelligence chief Avril Haines, officials from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, or ODNI, told reporters.

The decision to issue a public alert would follow a review by digital forensic experts and intelligence analysts, ODNI officials said. It would be based on an assessment of whether the disinformation was serious enough to “could affect the outcome of the elections”, said an official.

Intelligence officials briefed reporters Thursday amid growing concerns from lawmakers that federal agencies are not sufficiently prepared to respond to a rising wave of disinformation fueled by new technologies and deep divisions in American society.

But at a press conference, ODNI officials said that a new office created to monitor information operations carried out by foreign enemies has brought together experts from all of the country’s intelligence agencies and is holding regular exercises to prepare for the attacks. elections.

“We are taking a very proactive approach,” said an ODNI official.

Haines, the director of national intelligence, created the Center for Foreign Malign Influence in September 2022, more than two years after Congress ordered its creation following revelations of Russian election interference in the 2016 election.

Russia continues to pose the most serious risk of foreign interference in U.S. elections as it hopes to undermine Western support for Ukraine and weaken American democracy, officials said.

“We consider Russia to be our main threat in these elections,” said an ODNI official. China is adopting a “more cautious” approach, while Iran operates as an “agent of chaos” trying to disrupt the democratic process, the official said.

US authorities have previously privately notified targets of malicious foreign disinformation, including local governments, companies and individuals. Intelligence officials declined to specify the number of such cases or other details.

Federal authorities have issued a public warning about foreign election disinformation once, in 2020, when Iran was accused of orchestrating emails to registered voters, allegedly from the far-right extremist group Proud Boys. The emails threatened recipients with physical harm unless they switched parties and voted for President Donald Trump.

To protect the office from partisan political bias, career civil servants in the intelligence community oversee the effort to track foreign information operations targeting the election, officials said.

Intelligence reports shape monitoring of foreign influence operations and intelligence analysts flag cases. If a case of disinformation is not “serious” enough or if it is orchestrated by a national actor, the case will be dismissed, officials said. The FBI or other national agencies would then decide whether to pursue the matter.

“We are not going to look at national actors,” the official said. “It’s not under our purview.”

The center tries to cultivate “partnerships” with state and local agencies, but officials are aware that some local officials may not trust the federal government, the official added.

Some experts and members of Congress have expressed concern that the polarized political climate in America could lead to an overly cautious approach by intelligence agencies and the FBI in reporting threats to elections from disinformation spread by foreign powers. Trump and his supporters have portrayed the Justice Department and intelligence agencies as carrying out a covert political agenda to harass him and thwart his agenda.

But intelligence analysts have flagged or “named” more cases of potential foreign influence operations in recent months, surpassing levels seen over the past four to five years, officials said.

“There were more appointments than we have ever seen,” said the official, refusing to provide further data or other details.

Asked whether some foreign governments considered US partners or allies are also involved in electoral influence operations, the ODNI official said: “We go where the intelligence takes us.”

It takes about a week for a specific threat to be deemed credible and reviewed by senior officials, ODNI officials said. The process is being “simplified” and if there were an urgent case close to election day, it could take less than 24 hours, officials said.

ODNI officials also said that more foreign actors are spreading disinformation, including private representatives and companies hired by governments. Intermediaries complicate efforts to track down the sources of false information, officials said.