Russia targets Americans traveling to Paris Olympics with fake CIA video
Screenshot of a Russian disinformation network website's article using the fake CIA video. CBS NEWS photo
CBS News
Russia has ramped up its disinformation operations targeting the Paris Olympics, this time with a new video that makes it appear as if the CIA is warning Americans about traveling in the city's metro. CBS News found the fabricated video, which contains a fake warning about a "high risk" of an attack, originated in Russian channels before making its way to X and Facebook, where it has racked up at least 100,000 views across platforms.
The video is "a fabrication, has no connection to CIA, and does not represent CIA's view," a CIA spokesperson told CBS News. U.S. officials have not warned Americans about traveling on the metro during the games, which are set to begin on July 26 and end on Aug. 11. The Paris Olympics organizing committee said "security is the highest priority of Paris 2024."
The fabricated video comes from the same Russian disinformation network that Microsoft uncovered in early June, which used AI to create a fake Netflix feature-length film with Tom Cruise. "Russian-affiliated actors are hoping to sow disinformation and make it appear as though there is a likelihood of violence during the Games," Clint Watts, general manager of Microsoft's Threat Analysis Center, told CBS News.
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