US cybersecurity chief says disinformation surge hasn't impacted election

The 2024 election has faced an 'unprecedented amount of disinformation' from foreign adversaries, the US cybersecurity agency director says

Fulton county workers process absentee ballots at Fulton County Operations Hub and Elections Center the day before the US presidential election, in Atlanta, Georgia, Nov 4, 2024. REUTERS

US cybersecurity agency director Jen Easterly said on Monday that her department has not seen evidence of any activity that could directly impact the election outcome, despite a surge in disinformation.

She added that the 2024 election has faced an "unprecedented amount of disinformation" from foreign adversaries.

US agencies have warned that Russia and others intend to fan divisive narratives ahead of the election, an accusation Russia has denied.

Last week officials in the state of Georgia described a fake video circulating online of Haitian immigrants with multiple Georgia IDs claiming to have voted numerous times as "targeted disinformation".

In a statement, senior US intelligence officials linked the video back to Russia.

A senior Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency official said there was a high likelihood that foreign disinformation efforts would continue in weeks and months after the election up until Jan 6.

Easterly said the "election infrastructure has never been more secure and that the election community has never been better prepared to deliver safe, secure, free and fair elections."