A false claim circulating on social media that Kamala Harris was involved in a hit-and-run accident in San Francisco in 2011 is the result of a covert Russian disinformation operation, according to a new Microsoft investigation.
The researchers found that the group created the videos, paid actors to appear as the alleged victims, and spread its claims through a fake website for a non-existent San Francisco news outlet called KBSF-TV. The Russian group, which Microsoft has dubbed Storm-1516, is described as a Kremlin-aligned troll farm.
Microsoft said the discovery was a sign that Russia was stepping up its efforts to expand its foreign influence ahead of the presidential election on November 5. A spokesman for the Russian Embassy in Washington did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
“Russian influence operations initially struggled to pivot to targeting Democratic campaigns following President Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 U.S. presidential race,” a Microsoft blog post published on Tuesday said.
“However, in late August, a group of known Russian actors from Storm1516 began producing content implicating Vice President Harris and Governor Waltz in outlandish false conspiracy theories,” Microsoft said, referring to Harris’ running mate, Tim Waltz.
Experts say Storm1516 is known for producing misleading videos featuring actors and voice actors posing as whistleblowers and journalists who share false and scandalous information.
According to online registry records, the KBSF-TV website was created just before it published the first related story about the alleged driving incident. The false claim that the Democratic presidential candidate paralyzed a 13-year-old girl in a hit-and-run was spread across social media platforms, including X (formerly Twitter), using the hashtag “#HitAndRunKamala.”
In total, the video is estimated to have been viewed more than 2.7 million times.
“A number of entities within the pro-Russian ecosystem spread this video and its claims,” Microsoft’s Threat Analysis Center said.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Justice charged two employees of Russian state-run media network RT with money laundering after officials said they planned to outsource the production of online content to influence the election to U.S. companies.
U.S. officials say Russia’s aim is to exacerbate political divisions in the United States and undermine public support for U.S. military aid to Ukraine. Harris has said that if elected, she would continue to help defend Ukraine against Russian aggression.
