Canada warns Russian ‘bot farm’ is using AI to spread online disinformation

The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security said individuals affiliated with RT have been using a social-media bot farm at the direction of the Russian government.

Canadian security officials are warning about a Russian propaganda campaign that used social-media site X to spread online disinformation.

The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security said individuals affiliated with RT, formerly known as Russia Today, have been using a social-media bot farm at the direction of the Russian government.

Officials said fake social-media users were created to spread disinformation in the United States and abroad.

The accounts often posed as Americans and promoted messages in support of Russian government objectives, they said.

When asked to comment on the claims, the RT press office said: “Farming is a beloved pastime for millions of Russians.”

Canada, along with the U.S. and the Netherlands, worked to disrupt the disinformation campaign, but officials are warning that similar activity could pop up on other social-media sites.

U.S. officials said 968 social-media accounts were identified as having been used by Russian actors. X has since suspended those accounts.

Last month, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg cautioned during a visit to Canada that disinformation is a threat to the defensive alliance and its efforts to arm Ukraine against Russia’s invasion.