A baseless claim making the rounds on social media alleges that Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris was involved in a hit-and-run incident in San Francisco in 2011 that left a 13-year-old girl paralyzed. New research from Microsoft suggests this claim is part of a covert Russian disinformation campaign. The researchers discovered that the operation produced a video, hired an actor to portray the supposed victim, and disseminated the claim via a fabricated website for a non-existent San Francisco news outlet called 'KBSF-TV'. The Russian group behind this, dubbed Storm-1516 by Microsoft, is characterized as a Kremlin-aligned troll farm.
Microsoft's findings indicate that Russia is intensifying its foreign influence tactics in the lead-up to the November 5 presidential election. The Russian embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment. According to a blog post by Microsoft, Russian influence operations initially faced challenges in shifting their focus from the Democratic campaign after President Biden's withdrawal from the 2024 race. However, in late August, elements of Storm-1516 began producing content that implicated Vice-President Harris and Governor Tim Walz in outlandish conspiracy theories.
Storm-1516 is notorious for creating misleading videos featuring actors who impersonate whistleblowers or journalists to spread false and scandalous information. Online registration records show that the KBSF-TV website was established just before publishing its first article about the alleged driving incident. The claim was widely circulated on social media platforms, including X.com, using the hashtag #HitAndRunKamala. The video was also shared on September 3 by Aussie Cossack, who identifies himself as a 'Registered foreign agent for Sputnik News', with the message 'make this go viral MAGA folks'. It is estimated that the video has been viewed over 2.7 million times.
Microsoft's Threat Analysis Centre noted that 'many entities within the pro-Russian ecosystem advanced the video and its claims'. Storm-1516 leverages personalities like Aussie Cossack to amplify their videos. Aussie Cossack did not respond to a request for comment. Earlier this month, the US Justice Department charged two employees of Russian state media network RT with money-laundering, alleging they hired an American company to produce online content aimed at influencing the election. US officials believe Russia's objective is to deepen political divisions in the US and undermine public support for military aid to Ukraine. Harris has stated that if elected, she will continue to support Ukraine in its defense against Russia's invasion.
