GERMANY: A TARGET OF RUSSIAN HYBRID WAR
Ahead of the country's snap federal election next February, Germany's domestic intelligence service (BfV) has created a special task force to combat threats of foreign election interference. While the BfV has not yet shared details on the task force, the service stated that it intends to "detect malicious activities" and "prevent threat actors from influencing the elections," The Record reports. The announcement follows recent cyberattacks against Germany's Christian Democratic Union and Social Democratic Party earlier this year that have been attributed to Russia-aligned threat actor ATP28. (The Record, December 2, 2024)
[EDITORS' NOTE: Moscow's interest in destabilizing Germany is clear, given the country's status as the second-largest financial and military supporter of Ukraine. Back in October, the European Union condemned Russia after detecting "intensifying campaign of hybrid activities" targeting European states and partners. And last month, the German Federal Office for Information Security reported that the past year has seen a 26% increase in malware variants targeting German computer systems.]
HOW AJ+ IS MANIPULATING THE MIDEAST NARRATIVE
AJ+, the Western-facing multimedia initiative of Qatari media colossus Al-Jazeera, has used a complex network of artificial online profiles to "systematically manipulate social media discourse," according to the Jerusalem Post. A report by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) and Cyabra found that over the course of two months, nearly one-third of interactions with AJ+'s official X accounts came from fake profiles. The report also found hundreds of accounts generating nearly identical comments on AJ+ posts. The profiles strategically shared links to, or interacted with, AJ+ content featuring anti-United States and anti-Israel themes.
Al-Jazeera, which is controlled by the Qatari state, has long faced criticism for its anti-Western and antisemitic tilt. The CAM report also notes that Al-Jazeera has failed to comply with U.S. demands for it to register under the Foreign Agent Restrictions Act. (Jerusalem Post, December 5, 2024)
AI TURBO-CHARGES RUSSIAN DISINFO...
Russia's Social Design Agency (SDA) has been linked to yet another coercion operation intended to diminish Western support for Ukraine. The campaign, dubbed "Operation Undercut," is estimated to have been active since December of 2023, with the goals of shaping narratives surrounding the Ukraine war, as well as the U.S. election and other geopolitical conflicts. Operation Undercut is running alongside other Russian disinformation efforts, such as Doppelganger and Operation Overload, and like those campaigns has harnessed AI-enhanced videos and images from news articles to promote false narratives. "Operation Undercut is part of Russia's broader strategy to destabilize Western alliances and portray Ukraine's leadership as ineffective and corrupt," U.S. cybersecurity firm Recorded Future has detailed. "By targeting audiences in Europe and the U.S., the SDA seeks to amplify anti-Ukraine sentiment, hoping to reduce the flow of Western military aid to Ukraine." (The Hacker News, November 29, 2024)
...AS BRUSSELS GETS MORE SERIOUSS
Meanwhile, growing alarm over Russian disinformation in the Eurozone is prompting new concrete action on the part of policymakers in Brussels. In the wake of its recent approval of a fifteenth sanctions package aimed at Russia for its war on Ukraine, the European Union is now reportedly also poised to impose an inaugural tranche of penalties specifically for “disinformation and hybrid activities," The Kyiv Independent reports. According to the paper, the "proposed measures target more than a dozen individuals and three entities, including Russian intelligence officers and media entrepreneurs." (The Kyiv Independent, December 14, 2024)
OVERREACH IN EL SALVADOR?
Newly passed cybersecurity and data protection laws in El Salvador could lead to a curtailing of free speech in the Central American state, a human rights watchdog has warned. The laws, passed by the country's parliament last month, pave the way for the creation of a state cybersecurity agency possessing sweeping powers over information control and access. "These new laws could be used to delete online publications that are critical of the government under the guise of data protection," says Juanita Goebertus of Human Rights Watch. "This is a recipe for censorship and opacity." Of particular significance are new rights for citizens to request removal of inaccurate or irrelevant information about them – something that "could allow the government to pressure media outlets to delete information of public interest about officials or their allies by claiming the information is inaccurate or incomplete." (Recorded Future, December 12, 2024)
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