Canadian security officials are warning of a Russian propaganda campaign that used social media X to spread disinformation online.
The Canadian Center for Cyber Security said its affiliates at RT, formerly known as Russia Today, were operating a social media bot farm under the direction of the Russian government.
Officials said fake social media accounts with incorrect information were created in the U. S. and abroad.
The accounts posed as Americans and promoted posts that supported the Russian government’s goals, they said.
When asked to comment on these claims, RT’s press service said: “Farming is the favorite pastime of millions of Russians. “
Canada, along with the United States and the Netherlands, has worked to disrupt the disinformation campaign, but officials warn that the activity may simply appear on other social media sites.
The United States said 968 social media accounts were known to have been used by Russian actors. X has since suspended those accounts.
Last month, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said during a stopover in Canada that disinformation posed a risk to the defensive alliance and its efforts to arm Ukraine to oppose Russia’s invasion.
“Disinformation is a challenge, because we see that Russia is fueling disinformation in a number of ways. We also see that China is doing it,” Stoltenberg told The Canadian Press.
“So we have to be very aware of the risk. “
Although the government’s role is to counter disinformation, an independent and relaxed press remains the most productive way to oppose it, Stoltenberg said.
The wariness of the Russian propaganda crusade also comes as U. S. and Canadian officials struggle to counter foreign attempts to alter artificial intelligence and election disinformation.
NATO leaders are in Washington this week for their annual summit and to mark the alliance’s anniversary, with Ukraine and aid to the country at the center of discussions.
“As the Russian government continues to wage its brutal war in Ukraine and threaten democracies around the world, the Department of Justice will continue to deploy our entire judicial government to counter Russian aggression and protect the American people,” he said. United States Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in a matrix
During a speech Tuesday at the Canada embassy in Washington, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said cybersecurity is one of the biggest issues facing the alliance’s security.
“We will have to be clear about the current state of global affairs,” he said.
“We live in an increasingly dangerous, volatile and complex world. Cyberwarfare, the resurgence of authoritarian forces, the expansion of regional conflicts, and the effects of the developing climate pose developing threats to our collective security and continued prosperity. “
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Canada’s broadcasting regulator banned broadcasting on state-run channel RT, as well as RT France.
At the time, the Canadian Radio, Television and Telecommunications Commission concluded that the content of the stations “is not in the public interest” because it exposed Ukrainians to hatred or contempt for their race, national or ethnic origin.
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