Foreign disinformation campaigns, North Korea actions ramp up ahead of U.S. Election Day

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – As we near Election Day, U.S. intelligence agencies warn many social media videos claiming voter fraud are created by foreign actors as part of disinformation campaigns to undermine the election’s integrity.
Meantime, North Korea sent a strong signal ahead of U.S. elections by launching a new intercontinental ballistic missile and sending 10,000 troops to help Russia in its war in Ukraine.
Rob York, Director for Regional Affairs of the Pacific Forum, joined HNN’s Sunrise to talk about the impact of these events on the presidential elections.
“China, Russia and Iran have all been observed by our intelligence community and sources like Microsoft’s Threat Analysis Center spreading false information online in the months leading up this election, in the hopes of affecting voters’ behavior,” York said, adding that neither candidate is immune to being targeted.
“Though Russia, China and Iran are often thought to be in alignment against U.S. interests, their actions have been in support of different outcomes. Russia favors former President Donald Trump and seeks to tear down Vice President Kamala Harris. Iran’s preferences are the opposite. China has not demonstrated favor for one candidate over the other but appears determined to inflame tensions.”
When it comes to North Korea, York says Kim Jong-un is using a previous hedging strategy of playing Russia and China against each other to get more support from both.
“Currently they favor Russia, and if the U.S. election results in a loss of support for Ukraine, the decision to support Moscow there will be a winning gamble,” he said.
Copyright 2024 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.