Canada warns Russian ‘bot farm’ is using AI to spread online disinformation

Canadian information officials are informing astir a Russian propaganda run that utilized social-media tract X to dispersed online disinformation.

The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security said individuals affiliated pinch RT, formerly known arsenic Russia Today, person been utilizing a social-media bot farm astatine nan guidance of nan Russian government.

Officials said clone social-media users were created to dispersed disinformation successful nan United States and abroad.

The accounts often posed arsenic Americans and promoted messages successful support of Russian authorities objectives, they said.

When asked to remark connected nan claims, nan RT property agency said: “Farming is simply a beloved pastime for millions of Russians.”

Canada, on pinch nan U.S. and nan Netherlands, worked to disrupt nan disinformation campaign, but officials are informing that akin activity could popular up connected different social-media sites.

U.S. officials said 968 social-media accounts were identified arsenic having been utilized by Russian actors. X has since suspended those accounts.

Last month, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg cautioned during a sojourn to Canada that disinformation is simply a threat to nan protect confederation and its efforts to limb Ukraine against Russia’s invasion.

“Disinformation is simply a large situation because we spot that Russia is fueling disinformation successful galore ways. We besides spot China is doing that,” Stoltenberg told The Canadian Press.

“So we request to beryllium very overmuch alert of nan risk.”

While it’s nan domiciled of authorities to antagonistic disinformation, an independent and free property remains nan champion measurement to protect against it, Stoltenberg said.

The Russian propaganda run informing besides comes arsenic American and Canadian officials grapple pinch really to antagonistic overseas attempts to disrupt elections utilizing AI and disinformation.

NATO leaders are successful Washington, D.C. this week for their yearly acme and to people nan alliance’s 75th anniversary, pinch Ukraine and assistance for nan state astatine nan centre of discussions.

Trending Now

“As nan Russian authorities continues to costs its sadistic warfare successful Ukraine and threatens democracies astir nan world, nan Justice Department will proceed to deploy each of our ineligible authorities to antagonistic Russian aggression and protect nan American people,” said U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland successful a statement.

During a keynote reside astatine nan Canadian embassy successful Washington connected Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said cybersecurity is 1 of nan biggest threats facing nan alliance’s security.

“We must beryllium clear-eyed astir nan existent authorities of world affairs,” he said.

“We’re surviving successful an progressively dangerous, unstable and analyzable world. Cyberwarfare, resurgent authoritarian forces, expanding location conflicts, and everywhere, expanding impacts of ambiance alteration each correspond increasing threats to our corporate information and continued prosperity.”

Following Russia’s penetration of Ukraine successful 2022, Canada’s broadcasting regulator banned authorities broadcaster RT, on pinch RT France, from nan airwaves.

At that time, nan Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission recovered nan broadcasters’ contented was “not successful nan nationalist interest” arsenic it exposed Ukrainian group to hatred aliases contempt connected nan ground of their race, nationalist aliases taste origin.