Justice Department seizes internet domains allegedly used for Russian propaganda

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Federal authorities in Philadelphia announced the closure of 32 Internet domains that they believe are linked to ongoing investigations into campaigns run by the Russian government to influence the outcome of the upcoming presidential election.

According to a classified FBI affidavit filed in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, three Russian-backed companies — Social Design Agency (SDA), Structura National Technology (Structura), and ANO (Dialog) — “cybersquatted” multiple domains to pose as legitimate U.S. news outlets and spread Russian propaganda.

Cybersquatting is the act of registering a domain that looks like another — like the ones mentioned in the statement, such as washingtonpost.pm — and using it in bad faith. One of the most notorious examples is whitehouse.com, which resembles the official whitehouse.gov site but instead directs people to explicit content rather than the government site.

The influence campaigns, dubbed “Doppelganger,” violate U.S. money laundering and trademark laws. Federal officials say the propaganda deliberately omitted the Russian government and its agents as a source of content. Officials also say the campaigns created their own media brands to promote disinformation and used social media influencers and paid advertising to spread the propaganda.

According to a Justice Department press release, the messages focused on reducing international support for Ukraine, “advancing pro-Russian policies and interests, and influencing voters in elections in the U.S. and abroad, including the 2024 U.S. presidential election.”

U.S. Attorney Jacqueline Romero said protecting democratic processes from foreign, malign influence is “critical to ensuring continued public trust.”

“As America’s adversaries continue to spread propaganda and disinformation to the American electorate, we will use every tool at our disposal to expose and dismantle their insidious foreign influence campaigns,” Romero said in a statement.