Voters Beware: FBI Issues Warning on Fake Viral Videos on Election Day
Fake FBI videos are circulating containing misinformation about Election Day.
The bureau on Tuesday warned about two videos that make false claims about terror threats and voter fraud. One fake video claiming to be from the FBI said that there is a high terror threat and urged people to “vote remotely,” while a different video included a fake FBI press release claiming a rigged voting process in five prisons in the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Arizona.
In a statement, the FBI said that both videos are “not authentic.”
“Attempts to deceive the public with false content about FBI threat assessments and activities aim to undermine our democratic process and erode trust in the electoral system,” the FBI’s statement read.
Tuesday’s FBI warning follows a statement from the FBI and two other intelligence agencies Monday that they expect foreign actors to “intensify” influence operations “through election day and in the coming weeks,” particularly in the contested states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The agencies warned about threats from Russia and, to a lesser extent, Iran.
Misinformation and conspiracies have been rife during this election, often helped along by influential personalities who should know better. Just a few days ago, Elon Musk spread a fake election video that purportedly showed a Haitian immigrant claiming to have voted multiple times in Georgia and encouraging others to do the same—drawing a rebuke from Georgia’s Republican secretary of state.
Last week, Trump spread a false claim about fake voter registrations in York County, Pennsylvania, and has already tried to sow doubt in the electoral process with a lawsuit over alleged voter intimidation in the state. Earlier this month, Musk recycled debunked claims about fake voting machines at a rally in the Keystone State.
Even after polls close on Tuesday, final vote counts and certifications are likely to continue for days and possibly weeks afterward, creating opportunities for bad actors to spread rumors and conspiracies. The question is whether this misinformation will persuade people to act rashly and commit crimes, or if the results are accepted by the majority of the public to ensure a peaceful transition of power.