July 9, 2024 at 05:16PM
A large bot farm, managed by a deputy editor-in-chief at the Russian state-run news organization Russia Today (RT) and a Russian FSB officer, was dismantled by the U.S. Justice Department. The bots, driven by AI software named Meliorator, disseminated disinformation on Twitter targeting global users since 2022. This operation aimed to disrupt Russia’s efforts to undermine geopolitical narratives.
From the provided meeting notes, it is evident that a significant international law enforcement operation, led by the U.S. Justice Department, effectively dismantled a large bot farm responsible for spreading Russian propaganda via nearly a thousand Twitter accounts. This operation involved various international agencies and revealed the use of an AI-enabled software called Meliorator by a deputy editor-in-chief at Russian state-run news organization Russia Today (RT) and a Russian FSB officer.
The bots, managed by the RT affiliates using Meliorator, were used to create authentic-looking social media accounts to amplify false narratives and Russian malign foreign influence on Twitter. The FBI shared that the bots were particularly focused on targeting users from multiple countries, including the United States, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Ukraine, and Israel, to propagate disinformation. Furthermore, the FBI suggested that the operators of Meliorator may have intended to expand its functionality to other social media networks in the future.
The bot farm’s operations were intertwined with RT’s goal of expanding information distribution beyond traditional TV broadcasts. The FBI Director emphasized that this operation represents a significant disruption in Russian-sponsored AI-enhanced social media bot farm activities and highlighted Russia’s intentions to use this technology to undermine partners in Ukraine and influence geopolitical narratives favorable to the Russian government.
Additionally, a joint advisory containing more technical details about the Meliorator software was published by the FBI and the Cyber National Mission Force in partnership with several international agencies, including the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security and Dutch intelligence and security services.
In summary, the meeting notes outline a thorough international law enforcement effort to dismantle a bot farm that was disseminating misinformation and targeting social media users across multiple countries, shedding light on the intersection of technology, disinformation, and international security.