{"id":5856,"date":"2025-02-13T11:15:47","date_gmt":"2025-02-13T11:15:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/between-russia-and-elon-musk-german-voters-face-a-dual-front-of-disinformation\/"},"modified":"2025-02-13T11:15:47","modified_gmt":"2025-02-13T11:15:47","slug":"between-russia-and-elon-musk-german-voters-face-a-dual-front-of-disinformation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/between-russia-and-elon-musk-german-voters-face-a-dual-front-of-disinformation\/","title":{"rendered":"Between Russia and Elon Musk, German Voters Face a \u2018Dual Front\u2019 of Disinformation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- ItShrt World News -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"1882483372\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Last week, Stephan Protschka, a member of Parliament for the far-right party Alternative for Germany, took to <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Protschka.Stephan\/posts\/pfbid02ieaZmgKSbHno7u97JD5Wfhd1iQCS2EbBDGGz5z1fxkanZxTcmLu8ENnKYCDxjFcWl?__cft__%5b0%5d=AZVPsz8ylWfzB3vBbHfV3NnXp6mbDx81mwrTOSnd0bR7Ken0VzOE7E1KE39GwVbH_gDsGnwdMK_oUge6F3bvpkxS3eHbTxdB7o0QP80K0Cc_g-G3jKOLV-7tXdUIsGTUHOeLMAItVY_d-rDRrroKrsA_yJAdRDA-FQ_dU1M7EinHMA&amp;__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook<\/a> and <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/t.me\/Protschka\/3776\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Telegram<\/a> to share a sensationalist article. The country\u2019s Green Party, it claimed, was conspiring with the Ukrainian government to recruit migrants to stage terrorist attacks \u2014 and blame his party.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">As intended, the post enraged Mr. Protschka\u2019s followers. \u201cPeople wake up,\u201d one of them replied on Facebook. \u201cThis is criminal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The article was, in fact, part of a torrent of Russian disinformation that has flooded Europe\u2019s biggest economic and diplomatic power ahead of its federal election on Feb. 23.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">As the vote approaches, Russian influence campaigns have propagated wild claims about sexual, financial and criminal scandals involving German politicians, playing on social and political tensions that have divided the country, according to researchers who track disinformation and foreign influence operations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The claims have appeared in fake news outlets and in videos that have been altered by artificial intelligence. They have been spread by an army of bot accounts on social media platforms like X, Facebook, Telegram and, in a new development, Bluesky.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The goal, according to the researchers and Germany\u2019s domestic intelligence agency, is to undermine trust in mainstream parties and media and to bolster Germany\u2019s far right, led by the Alternative for Germany, known as AfD.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Aiming at the same target is the world\u2019s richest man, Elon Musk. His public support of the Alternative for Germany on X, the social media network he owns, has aligned with Russia\u2019s strategic objective to destabilize Western democracies and support for Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cWe\u2019re now dealing with a dual front,\u201d said Sasha Havlicek, chief executive of the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a nonprofit research organization that on Thursday released <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.isdglobal.org\/digital_dispatches\/coordinated-disinformation-network-uses-ai-media-impersonation-to-target-german-election\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">a report<\/a> about the Russian disinformation campaign on X.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cBetween Musk\u2019s overt and the Kremlin\u2019s covert operations,\u201d she said, \u201cit is clear from the content that there\u2019s mutual reinforcement there.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-2\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<h2 class=\"css-13o6u42 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-3915272a\">Targeting Germany<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Germany\u2019s election has become the latest battleground in Russia\u2019s influence campaigns. The Kremlin hopes the outcome of the contest, called ahead of schedule after Chancellor Olaf Scholz\u2019s center-left coalition collapsed late last year, could erode support in Europe for Ukraine, where Russian invaders are grinding down the country\u2019s defenses after three years of war.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Musk, for his part, appears to have done little to curtail Russian bots promoting the AfD on his platform. Instead, he has told his 217 million-strong audience on X that the party is the country\u2019s last hope.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-3\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In January, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/13\/world\/europe\/maga-musk-europe-interference.html\" title=\"\">Mr. Musk interviewed the party\u2019s leading candidate<\/a>, Alice Weidel, for 75 minutes on X, the same platform he gave <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/08\/13\/technology\/elon-musk-x-donald-trump.html\" title=\"\">Donald J. Trump<\/a> during his run for office last August. Addressing the party\u2019s conference <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/27\/world\/europe\/musk-germany-afd-auschwitz.html\" title=\"\">by video link<\/a> last month, he said it had the support of the Trump administration.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Russia\u2019s propagandists have welcomed the convergence and sought to exploit it. Mr. Musk\u2019s posts on X have been spread by bot accounts operated by a Russian influence operation known as Doppelg\u00e4nger, according to CeMAS, an organization that tracks German online extremism. X did not respond to a question about the Russian activity. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-4\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<h2 class=\"css-13o6u42 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-5e3c451d\">A fake news maven<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In Germany, Russia is employing tactics it has honed in France, Moldova, Georgia, the United States and other countries that have recently held elections, according to disinformation researchers including from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, CeMAS and Recorded Future, a threat intelligence company based in Massachusetts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">One key player is <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/05\/29\/business\/mark-dougan-russia-disinformation.html\" title=\"\">a former sheriff\u2019s deputy<\/a> from Florida, John Mark Dougan, who received political asylum and eventually citizenship in Moscow. Having previously built a <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/03\/07\/business\/media\/russia-us-news-sites.html\" title=\"\">network of more than 160 fake news websites<\/a> that pushed Kremlin propaganda in the United States, Britain and France, he has now turned his attention to Germany.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Nine days after the snap election was announced on Nov. 12, Mr. Dougan began registering dozens of fake German news sites, according to <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newsguardrealitycheck.com\/p\/russian-propagandist-turns-his-sights\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">a report<\/a> by NewsGuard, a company that tracks online disinformation, and Correctiv, a nonprofit news organization in Germany.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">By February the number had grown to 102 \u2014 some masquerading as national news outlets, others as local media in Berlin, Hamburg and other cities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-5\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">On Jan. 30, one of the sites uploaded a video claiming that Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck conspired with Ukraine to steal 50 paintings from a Berlin art gallery. Another claimed Friedrich Merz, the leader of the Christian Democratic Union and the front-runner to become the next chancellor, was a \u201cperson of interest\u201d in a 20-year-old murder case.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-6\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThe network is showing its agility,\u201d said Cl\u00e9ment Briens, an analyst with Recorded Future, which also published <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"http:\/\/recordedfuture.com\/research\/stimmen-aus-moskau-russian-influence-operations-target-german-elections\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">a report<\/a> detailing Russian disinformation in Germany on Thursday. <\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Dougan, reached in Moscow, declined to answer questions about his role, but criticized the current German government as a puppet of the United States. \u201cAll their leaders need to be replaced,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"css-13o6u42 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-61ed4d06\">\u2018Deepfakes of regular people\u2019<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Not all fake videos feature prominent politicians. Another tactic that has been gaining momentum is altering videos that feature regular people.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In January, Natalie Finch, a mental health nurse, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DFFmphHs-Ke\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">made a promotional video on Instagram<\/a> for the college in Britain where she works, the University of Bradford. Two weeks later the video reappeared on Bluesky, except this time she was not speaking about nursing but the mental health of candidates for Germany\u2019s Christian Democratic Union.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-7\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The new version was a fake, using an artificial intelligence tool to recreate her voice reading a different script over the same video, emblazoned with the university\u2019s logo. \u201cThe video started with me introducing myself, introducing the university and then, very seamlessly I have to say, became a video about the German government,\u201d she said in an interview.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-8\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The fake was one of several identified by Clemson University\u2019s Media Forensics Hub. Others included manipulated audio of the presidents of several U.S. universities, and a fabricated video of a British policeman claiming to have passed on warnings of terrorist attacks in Germany.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThese are some of the clearest examples of deepfakes being used for disinformation that I\u2019ve seen,\u201d said Darren L. Linvill, a director of the hub who notified Ms. Finch about the manipulated video. \u201cAnd what\u2019s compelling about them is that some of them are just deepfakes of regular people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">What impact Russia\u2019s campaign will have on the outcome of the election remains uncertain. The researchers say the efforts have not so far meaningfully altered voter preferences, but the huge volume of disinformation has certainly seeped into the public discourse, carefully tailored to compound existing social grievances.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-9\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThe Russians very intricately study the newspapers, print media, television in their target countries,\u201d Brian Liston, an analyst at Recorded Future, said. \u201cThey probably know more about a country\u2019s politics than the country knows its own politics in many instances.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Germany\u2019s domestic intelligence agency said the quantity and sophistication of the disinformation has exceeded anything it has previously seen.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThe danger of disinformation campaigns is that they influence voters in their voting decision,\u201d the Office for the Protection of the Constitution said in a statement to The Times. \u201cThere is also a risk that the election itself will be delegitimized and thereby cast into doubt by the public.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">There are signs that the campaign is intensifying. The 48 accounts traced to Russia on X over the past month have collectively received 2.5 million views, the Institute for Strategic Dialogue\u2019s study found. Over the course of January, the number of engagements \u2014 likes or shares \u2014 tripled.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The Russian efforts benefit significantly when prominent politicians or influencers online, like Mr. Protschka of the Alternative for Germany, share the false claims, which researchers call \u201cdisinformation laundering.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-10\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Musk, who is currently playing an outsize role in the Trump administration, may be the biggest influence. He has called the chancellor a \u201cfool\u201d and Germany\u2019s president \u201can undemocratic tyrant.\u201d Germany, he <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.welt.de\/debatte\/kommentare\/article254982012\/Warum-Elon-Musk-auf-die-AfD-setzt-und-warum-er-dabei-irrt.html\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">wrote<\/a> in an opinion piece for a major newspaper in December, is \u201cteetering on the brink of economic and cultural collapse.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Musk has also amplified supporters of Alternative for Germany by sharing their posts on X. Some of these influencers were marginalized or even banned on the platform before Mr. Musk took over and reinstated them. Many, like Naomi Seibt, a 24-year-old vaccine and climate change skeptic, now post content in English to attract his attention.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Musk has also amplified Russian propaganda. In October 2023 he <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1708629197617336398\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">shared<\/a> a meme created as part of an influence campaign run by Social Design Agency, an internet company in Moscow that has been sanctioned by the United States. Internal company documents from the Social Design Agency seen by CeMAS show that the Russians consider it a victory when their material is shared by public figures.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThis is the first German election where both the Kremlin and a powerful figure from the new U.S. administration are trying to influence the process and supporting the same far-right party,\u201d said Julia Smirnova, an analyst at CeMAS. <\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cWhen figures like Musk share Russian propaganda narratives,\u201d Ms. Smirnova said, \u201cthey ultimately normalize them, boost their reach and cause more damage than a network of inauthentic accounts.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     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Telegram<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5857,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[2133,213,123,511,510,932,111],"class_list":["post-5856","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world","tag-alternative-for-germany","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-computers-and-the-internet","tag-elon","tag-musk","tag-rumors-and-misinformation","tag-united-states-politics-and-government"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Between Russia and Elon Musk, German Voters Face a \u2018Dual Front\u2019 of Disinformation - World News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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