Russian Troll Farm Fabricated False Story Linking Kamala Harris to 2011 Hit-and-Run, Microsoft Report Says

A false claim involving Vice President Kamala Harris in a 2011 hit-and-run incident has been traced back to a Russian troll farm, according to a new report by Microsoft’s Threat Analysis Center. The report, released on Tuesday, identified the group behind the disinformation as Storm-1516, a Kremlin-aligned organization that is part of a broader Russian disinformation effort targeting the Harris-Walz presidential campaign ahead of the November 2024 election.

The false narrative, which alleged that Harris was involved in a hit-and-run that left a 13-year-old girl paralyzed, was first circulated in early September on a fake news website posing as a San Francisco media outlet. A video embedded in the story featured a paid actress recounting the fabricated incident. The website, created on August 20, went offline shortly after publishing the story, but not before the content gained significant traction on social media, amassing over 7 million views on platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube. Pro-Russian channels on Telegram also amplified the claims.

Microsoft’s report confirmed that CBS News had already debunked the story, noting that public records and news reports showed no evidence of such an incident. The San Francisco Police Department confirmed to CBS News that it had no records of the alleged hit-and-run.

The disinformation effort was part of a larger Kremlin strategy to influence U.S. elections through digital propaganda, according to Microsoft. In addition to the hit-and-run claims, another Kremlin-aligned group, Storm-1679, produced fake content about Harris, including a doctored video showing a false New York City billboard criticizing her policies. These efforts follow a pattern observed in past elections, where Russian cyber groups intensified disinformation campaigns targeting Democratic candidates within 90 days of the election.

The report also highlighted additional disinformation campaigns involving other countries. For example, a Chinese-linked group, Storm-1852, has been using fake online personas posing as conservative voters supporting Donald Trump, while also producing content critical of the former president. Iran was also mentioned in previous Microsoft reports for its involvement in cyber attacks aimed at U.S. institutions and election candidates.

As part of broader efforts to combat disinformation, Meta recently announced a global ban on Russian state media outlets across its platforms, including TikTok, Instagram, X, and YouTube, following accusations that these outlets were funneling millions of dollars to fund influence campaigns.