WASHINGTON 鈥� A foreign disinformation campaign is underway in the United States that is aimed at spreading fear in the country amid the coronavirus pandemic, three American officials said Monday.
Also on Monday, national security officials said there had been a 鈥渃yber incident鈥� involving the computer networks of the Department of Health and Human Services, but the networks were operating normally. They didn't detail the scope of the incident.
鈥淗HS and federal government cybersecurity professionals are continuously monitoring and taking appropriate actions to secure our federal networks,鈥� according to National Security Council spokesman John Ullyot.
On Sunday, federal officials began confronting what they said was a deliberate effort by a foreign entity to sow fears of a nationwide quarantine amid the virus outbreak. Agencies took
The three U.S. officials did not name the foreign entity they believe to be responsible. They spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter.
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States and municipalities have banned large public gatherings, closed schools, bars and restaurants, and advised people to exercise social distancing to slow the spread of the virus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Sunday issued new guidance recommending against indoor gatherings larger than 50 people for the next eight weeks.
The nation鈥檚 top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said Sunday that Americans should aim to severely curtail leaving their homes, but he did not indicate the government would order such a move. He was specifically questioned on whether he'd like to see a 鈥渘ational lockdown.鈥�
"I think Americans should be prepared that they are going to have to hunker down significantly more than we as a country are doing," said Fauci, a member of the White House task force on combating the spread of the coronavirus. He heads the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health.
Although the officials did not name a specific entity, U.S. intelligence officials have repeatedly cautioned that Russia, China, Iran and other countries are engaged in ongoing efforts to influence U.S. policy and voters in elections.
Intelligence officials have warned for years that Russia has been engaging in covert social media campaigns using fictional persona, bots, social media postings and disinformation aimed at dividing American public opinion and sowing discord in the electorate.
The Justice Department said the Russian social media effort during the 2016 presidential election and the 2018 midterms included spreading distrust for political candidates and causing divisions on social issues, including immigration and gun control.
Earlier this year, U.S. intelligence officials privately briefed lawmakers on Russian efforts to stir chaos in American politics and undermine public confidence in this year鈥檚 election. The briefing detailed Russian efforts to boost the White House bids of both Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Bernie Sanders.
A report from University of Wisconsin-Madison professor Young Mie Kim made public earlier this month found that Russia-linked social media accounts are posting about the same divisive issues 鈥� race relations, gun laws and immigration 鈥� as they did in 2016, when the Kremlin polluted American voters鈥� feeds with messages about the presidential election. Facebook has since removed the accounts.
On Sunday, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said he鈥檚 been asked about the
鈥淚鈥檝e had community leaders and elected officials all text me or call me and say, 鈥業 understand on Monday you鈥檙e basically going to order everybody to shelter in place for two weeks. The message has been exactly the same," the Republican governor said.
鈥淲e have no plans to do that.鈥�
He said it shows the need for residents to find trusted sources of news and information, such as legitimate news organizations or public health authorities.
鈥淭here鈥檚 so much information out there,鈥� Baker said. 鈥淪ome of which is legit, but a lot of it is wild speculation.鈥�
Texts and posts suggesting Texas, Washington and New York states would be shutting down to prevent the spread of the coronavirus escalated with screenshots of text messages circulating online that claimed that within 48 to 72 hours Trump would place the U.S. under a two-week quarantine.
New York City officials last week debunked a claim passed around in text messages claiming that the city鈥檚 Metro-North trains, connecting commuters from the suburbs to the city, would be shut down and that other train service would be limited. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, also said claims that the state would soon be under quarantine were untrue.
Andy Carvin, a senior fellow at The Atlantic Council, a Washington based
鈥淭here鈥檚 no way to know if these are organic or intentional, unfortunately, because the sentiment contained in them is so plausible that they could very easily be born out of home-grown
For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The worldwide outbreak has sickened more than 175,000 people and left more than 6,700 people dead. In the United States, there have been more than 4,000 confirmed cases and scores of deaths.
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Associated Press writers Michael Balsamo in Washington, David Klepper in Providence, R.I., and Beatrice Dupuy in New York contributed to this report.
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The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute鈥檚 Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Zeke Miller And Colleen Long, The Associated Press
