In 2019, during a classroom session at the Army War College in Carlisle, Pa., a professor posed a critical question: ‘What is our greatest national security threat?’ The response wasn’t terrorism or nuclear threats, but rather cyberattacks. This week, Elon Musk’s X platform has brought this reality into sharper focus by making the country of origin of any account visible to users. Almost immediately, some of the most corrosive users masquerading as Americans were found to be located in Africa and Macedonia.
One notable example is a fake account named ‘ULTRAMAGA us TRUMPus2028,’ which claimed to be based in Washington, D.C., but was actually listed as being located in Africa. Another deleted account, ‘Trump Is My President,’ was flagged as originating from Macedonia. A patriotic account named @American, which had a profile picture featuring a bald eagle over an American flag, was discovered to be based in South Asia.
We have been aware since the aftermath of the 2016 election that foreign governments have used fake social media accounts to sow discord. An example from the Mueller Report included a fake Russian account that organized an actual, physical political rally in the United States. In a recent column, David Marcus highlighted how the MAGA movement has been particularly targeted by foreign influence seeking to divide it. Fake foreign accounts can not only create the illusion of significant influence through clicks and likes but can also fund malicious users through monetization.
The challenge remains that our nation is particularly vulnerable to informational attacks precisely because we are a free society, we are dominant militarily, economically, and diplomatically, but our Achilles’ heel is information, the free exchange of which we value more than safety. For instance, in no universe would China allow the United States to feed its children an endless loop of propaganda as it does through TikTok. Even if it were banned, as Congress tried to do, another platform would simply take its place. The First Amendment limits our ability to take more decisive action.
This is why Musk’s decision to add the country of origin to accounts is considered a significant game-changer. However, using this tool is not enough. We must remain diligent, as there are many potential fake accounts trying to harm us and our nation. The responsibility is daunting but necessary because freedom itself is challenging, and there are specific signs to look for. When told that an influencer has an incredible sway over their online audience, one should ask if they have ever seen an example of it offline. Do they hold physical events? Have you ever heard anyone talk about them in real life?
One should also consider who might benefit from the discord and distrust these influencers create. The obvious answers are Russia, China, and Iran. David Marcus feels fairly certain that his instructor from the Army War College would applaud Musk’s initiative as a tremendous blow against foreign information operations, but he’d also point to the need for diligence. In the end, it is important to remember that most of our neighbors, our fellow Americans, are good and decent, and when our online screens purport to show otherwise, we should always be skeptical, as our enemies are not going to stop pressing this advantage.