Feds Seize Domains Linked to Russian AI Disinformation Campaign

The Justice Department disclosed that Russian entities employed cybersquatting and AI-generated content to disseminate disinformation specifically aimed at Americans, an influence campaign dubbed “Doppelganger” that has been ongoing.

FBI Director Christopher Wray declared, “Today’s announcement lays bare the extent of the Russian government’s influence operations and their reliance on state-of-the-art AI technology to sow disinformation. Companies acting under the direction of the Russian government created websites to deceive Americans into unknowingly consuming Russian propaganda.”

Cybersquatting refers to the act of creating malicious websites or domains that imitate legitimate ones. The DOJ disclosed that Doppelganger also employed fabricated social media profiles and AI-generated advertisements.

“To drive viewership to the cybersquatted and unique media domains, Doppelganger utilized influencers globally, paid social media advertisements (sometimes created using AI tools), and the creation of social media profiles posing as U.S. (or other non-Russian) citizens to post comments on social media platforms with links to the cybersquatted domains,” the DOJ stated.

The Justice Department highlighted an affidavit that outlined how foreign operatives established a counterfeit site resembling The Washington Post, containing articles critical of U.S. policies.

“Today’s announcement reveals Russia’s willingness to impersonate our free and open press in its flagrant schemes,” an official commented.

Alongside the DOJ’s announcement of the website seizures, the U.S. Department of Treasury disclosed that two companies and ten individuals, including executives from Russian state-funded media outlet RT (Russia Today) and members of pro-Kremlin hacktivist group RaHDit, were involved in the disinformation campaign.

The Treasury Department noted that these entities utilized various tools, such as generative AI and AI-generated deepfakes, in an attempt to mislead voters.

The designated individuals listed by the department included RT deputy editors-in-chief Elizaveta Yuryevna Brodskaia and Anton Sergeyvich Anisimov, as well as RT English-language broadcasting deputy director Andrey Vladimirovich Kiyashko, and Elena Mikhaylovna Afanasyeva, an employee with RT’s digital media department.

Among the RaHDit members named were Aleksey Alekseyevich Garashchenko, Anastasia Igorevna Yermoshkina, and Aleksandr Vitalyevich Nezhentsev.

According to the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), any properties or assets owned by these designated individuals in the U.S. or controlled by U.S. persons will be frozen and must be reported to the agency. Additionally, U.S. individuals are prohibited from engaging in transactions with these individuals without authorization, as they risk facing sanctions themselves.

“Today’s action underscores the U.S. government’s continuing efforts to hold state-sponsored actors accountable for actions that seek to undermine public trust in our institutions,” stated Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. “Treasury will remain steadfast in our commitment to safeguarding our democratic principles and the integrity of our election systems.”

In July, the Department of Justice flagged almost 1,000 Twitter accounts connected to a Russian bot farm that employed generative AI to generate false social media profiles, many of which posed as Americans, to disseminate pro-Russian messages on Twitter.