Instigators Tied to Russia, China Spread Storm Disinformation
(Bloomberg) -- Foreign instigators linked to Russia and China are to blame for amplifying disinformation about the US government’s response to a pair of hurricanes that devastated several southeastern states, according to a US official.
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False claims circulated by the foreign actors included that the US government was denying storm victims access to relief funds, according to the official, who described the declassified findings on condition of anonymity. One debunked post from a Kremlin-linked account depicted a flooded Disney World.
Another post circulated by an account linked to the Chinese government included a fake image showing Vice President Kamala Harris overlooking flood damage, next to a sign saying that all of the US funds had gone to support foreign conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, the official said. The image was likely generated by artificial intelligence.
The official didn’t identify the platform used by foreign actors to disseminate the false information. But conspiracy theories and hate speech targeting the government’s storm response ran rampant across social media — especially on X — after Hurricanes Milton and Helene devastated the southeastern US, with former President Donald Trump and X owner Elon Musk amplifying unverified allegations.
Bogus claims included assertions that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has diverted relief funding to undocumented migrants and is only providing $750 to disaster survivors. Other conspiracy theories alleged without evidence that the government would use the moment to seize private land, or that federal officials had somehow engineered the hurricanes.
FEMA devoted part of one of its briefings before Hurricane Milton hit Florida to dispelling what officials described as a surge of disinformation. The agency said it was considering investigating the origins of those claims.
Emergency response officials and extremism researchers have warned that the circulation of such deceptive claims during a disaster creates real-world peril, potentially encouraging people to ignore evacuation orders or spurn government relief. Hate speech aimed at government agencies also risks inciting violence against officials who are delivering much-needed aid, they have said.
--With assistance from Justin Sink and Ari Natter.
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