Thread: A viral story claims Kamala Harris was involved in a 2011 hit-and-run that left a 13-year-old named Alicia Brown paralyzed.
But the story is fake, and is most likely part of a pro-Kremlin disinformation operation run by an ex-Florida cop we've previously reported on.
But the story is fake, and is most likely part of a pro-Kremlin disinformation operation run by an ex-Florida cop we've previously reported on.
https://twitter.com/Shayan86/status/1808308436477923676
The source of the story is an obscure website called KBSF-San Francisco News. The domain was set up on 20 August.
The website has all the hallmarks of a network of AI-powered fake news websites set up by Moscow-based former Florida cop John Mark Dougan.
The website has all the hallmarks of a network of AI-powered fake news websites set up by Moscow-based former Florida cop John Mark Dougan.
The top image of the massive story, which is supposed to show the crash caused by Harris in San Francisco in 2011, was actually taken in Guam.
A simple reverse search shows the image was originally posted in a news story about a January 2018 crash in Mangilao, Guam.
A simple reverse search shows the image was originally posted in a news story about a January 2018 crash in Mangilao, Guam.
The main piece of evidence for the story is this video of Alicia Brown, now 26, explaining how she's been left paralyzed by the crash caused by Harris.
You only need to watch a few seconds of it to realise it's a deepfake. Again, this is a hallmark of Dougan's operation.
You only need to watch a few seconds of it to realise it's a deepfake. Again, this is a hallmark of Dougan's operation.
The story also features the usual gaffes and errors that are often found in the fake stories that appear on Dougan's websites.
The story twice refers to its whistleblower as Alisha Brown, while calling her Alicia Brown in the video and again at the bottom of the story.
The story twice refers to its whistleblower as Alisha Brown, while calling her Alicia Brown in the video and again at the bottom of the story.
And finally, the video shows us these two X-rays as evidence that Alicia Brown has become paralyzed.
Both of these supposed Alicia Brown X-rays have been lifted from medical research journals on the internet and can be found via reverse image search. Here they are:
Both of these supposed Alicia Brown X-rays have been lifted from medical research journals on the internet and can be found via reverse image search. Here they are:
Read our report from July about this network of AI-powered fake news websites that masquerade as US local news outlets and are increasingly targeting the US election.
They are run by John Mark Dougan, a former Florida cop who's now based in Moscow.
bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…
They are run by John Mark Dougan, a former Florida cop who's now based in Moscow.
bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…
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