U.S. spy agencies are ready to warn voters about foreign election interference — if it's severe enough

U.S. intelligence agencies are closely tracking attempts by foreign adversaries to influence the 2024 election through “deepfakes” or other false information and are ready to alert the public if necessary, officials said Wednesday.

A decision to notify the public about attempted election interference by foreign actors would be up to the leaders of the country’s intelligence agencies, including intelligence chief Avril Haines, officials from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, or ODNI, told reporters.

The decision to issue a public warning would follow a review by digital forensic experts and intelligence analysts, the ODNI officials said. It would be based on an assessment of whether the disinformation was serious enough that it “could affect the election outcome,” an official said.

Intelligence officials briefed reporters Thursday amid growing concern from lawmakers that federal agencies are not sufficiently prepared to respond to a rising tide of disinformation fueled by new technology and deep divisions in American society.

But at a media briefing, ODNI officials said a new office created to monitor information operations by foreign enemies has gathered experts from across the country’s intelligence agencies and is holding regular exercises to prepare for the election.

“We’re taking a very proactive approach,” an ODNI official said.

Haines, the director of national intelligence, set up the Foreign Malign Influence Center in September 2022, more than two years after Congress ordered its creation following revelations of Russian election interference in the 2016 polls.

Russia continues to pose the most serious risk for foreign interference in the U.S. election, as it hopes to undermine Western support