‘Flooded Disneyworld’: Russia and Cuba pushed misinformation on hurricane response
Foreign adversaries have taken part in a misinformation campaign designed to undermine confidence in the Biden administration’s response to two major hurricanes that hit Florida and the U.S. Southeast this fall, according to a newly downgraded U.S. government assessment.
A U.S. official told McClatchy that Russian influence actors have been amplifying misinformation ever since Hurricanes Helene and Milton devastated the region over a month ago.
In one post, from Oct. 10, a Russian state-owned news agency shared an image on Telegram that was “probably generated by artificial intelligence” showing “a flooded Disneyworld,” the official said. The famed theme park and resort did not flood as a result of Hurricane Milton.
“The image was then shared by pro-Kremlin English-language accounts on a U.S. social media platform,” the official said. “Russian influence actors have used their accounts on the U.S. platform to spread other provocative hurricane-related content, such as a post on 9 October claiming the U.S. government was denying people disaster relief funds.”
Cuba, too, has attempted to “amplify narratives” that would sow distrust of government among Americans, according to the assessment.
Havana has pushed social media posts “suggesting that U.S. support for Israel and Ukraine has diverted resources from disaster relief efforts,” the official added. “Cuban messaging paired information about hurricane evacuation efforts with claims that the U.S. government had left Americans to fend for themselves after spending billions to save Ukraine and Israel.”
There is additional evidence that Chinese-linked accounts have attempted to amplify similar messaging.
The U.S. intelligence community has already assessed that Russia is working to amplify narratives that boost former President Donald Trump’s electoral prospects in next week’s presidential election. It has also concluded that Iran is attempting to denigrate Trump.
Previously, U.S. intelligence officials have told McClatchy and the Herald that the Cuban government’s election influence operations were targeting politicians hostile to the government in Havana running in local Florida races.
Trump’s vice presidential running mate, J. D. Vance, said over the weekend that foreign efforts to influence U.S. voters on social media should not be a factor in U.S. foreign policy decision-making.
“I think a lot of countries are going to try to manipulate our voters. They’re going to try to manipulate our elections. That’s what they do,” Vance told CBS News. “I think the bigger question is, what is in our best interest vis-à-vis Russia, not what price Russia should pay for putting out social media videos.”
This story was originally published October 28, 2024 at 2:36 PM.
