The recent joint cyber advisory issued on July 9th by US, Dutch, and Canadian intelligence agencies should come as no surprise. According to the advisory, cybercriminals affiliated with RT, a Russian state-owned media company, used an AI software known as Meliorator to generate false social media “personas”. These AI-generated personas were created to disseminate propaganda that supports the Kremlin’s worldview – often undermining the sovereignty of Russia’s neighbors and promoting Russia’s imperialist worldview.
Key insight: “Operators of Meliorator avoid detection by using backend code designed to auto-assign a proxy IP address to the AI-generated persona based on their assumed location.”
The effectiveness of Russia’s social media-based propaganda lies in its ability to disguise malicious content as legitimate viewpoints held by “real” people in targeted countries. After all, individuals in Western democracies are far more likely to be influenced by their fellow citizens, rather than accounts linked to Russian state media.
At GeoComply, the harmful spread of misinformation is deeply personal. Our Kharkiv office had to be evacuated when Russia attempted to occupy the city in 2022. For us, countering Russia’s deceptive cyber activities isn’t just a technical challenge – it’s a moral responsibility.
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Combating state-sponsored misinformation: A blueprint for social media platforms
To combat the detrimental effects of state-sponsored misinformation, social media companies must take proactive steps to verify the legitimacy of the individuals and content on their platforms. Fortunately, a blueprint for this already exists.
The United States Senate Intelligence Committee’s report on Russian election interference in 2016 recommended best practices for social media companies to combat disinformation. The report urged these platforms to provide users with “greater transparency about activity occurring on their platforms, including disclosure of automated accounts (i.e., bots)”, as well as information on the “locational origin of content.”
Did you know? Only 17% of 15-24-year-olds trust social media to provide accurate information, and this drops to 12% among those over 40.
While some platforms have begun implementing these recommendations, the July 9th report documents how Russian state actors have been able to bypass these controls. For example, “operators [of Meliorator] avoid detection by using a backend code designed to auto-assign a proxy IP address to the AI-generated persona based on their assumed location”.
By disguising these IP addresses – the standard data point for online geolocation – Russian cyber actors can give their AI personas a semblance of geographic legitimacy seamlessly placing them into online communities. The lack of geographic screening beyond IP addresses has allowed these bots to operate undetected.
Leveraging advanced geolocation techniques to fight disinformation
As AI bots become more sophisticated, it is likely – if not inevitable – that anti-democratic forces will continue to use this technology to undermine online discourse. Social media platforms must, to the extent possible, leverage additional data points to detect and counter foreign state-led disinformation campaigns.
Learn more about GeoComply’s advanced geolocation solutions that help detect and mitigate these sophisticated threats.
Using GPS, Wi-Fi, and Cell Tower triangulation can provide significantly more accurate location data that is not as easily manipulated by bad actors. Rather than just relying solely on IP address information, social media platforms should collect and aggregate these additional data points to better assess suspicious user patterns, pinpoint geographic anomalies, and prevent the spread of false information.
Pro tip: Incorporating advanced geolocation data can drastically reduce the effectiveness of AI-generated disinformation campaigns by accurately pinpointing the true location of online users.
Collecting this data may be essential to upholding democratic discourse. Discreet actions by authoritarian governments on allegedly open and transparent platforms fuels division and amplifies mistrust. If social media companies fail to take proactive action against such activities, they risk magnifying their current crisis of confidence. According to Gallup, only 17% of 15-24 year olds trust social media to provide them with accurate information. Among those over forty, this falls to 12%.
While much work remains to be done to restore users’ confidence in online platforms, taking additional steps to validate users’ identity, verify the geographic origin of content, and combat state-sponsored bot activity is a critical first step. Ultimately, this will require enhanced data collection and technical processes. Failing to proactively embrace technical solutions to meet the challenge posed by authoritarian adversaries will further undermine the robust online discourse vital to the functioning of a modern democracy.
Join us in the fight against disinformation
At GeoComply, we are committed to safeguarding online platforms from state-sponsored threats. Learn more about how our technology can help protect your platform and ensure a safer, more secure digital environment.
