cubanet.org
Cuban Regime Aims to Influence 2024 Florida Elections, Intelligence Officials Warn
Specific campaigns to affect state and local elections are anticipated, according to US officials.
US intelligence officials have raised concerns that the Cuban regime plans to influence the 2024 elections in Florida. According to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Cuban government is expected to develop specific campaigns targeting both state and local elections.
The warning, detailed in the Miami Herald, cited previous activities conducted during the 2022 midterm elections. The Cuban government’s operations sought to undermine specific US candidates in Florida by fostering relationships with media members critical of certain politicians identified as hostile by Havana. A network of covertly linked social media accounts also amplified derogatory content about these politicians.
The Cuban influence efforts aimed to impact perceptions of politicians from both major US political parties, contending that Cuban Americans in Miami hold disproportionate sway over US policies toward Cuba. Prominent South Florida politicians such as Carlos Giménez, María Elvira Salazar, and Mario Díaz-Balart were believed to be targets.
Officials emphasize that these attempts are a notable concern, albeit less significant compared to election interference efforts by Russia, China, and Iran. The anticipation of further influence operations highlights the Cuban regime’s sustained interest in Florida’s elections.
Artificial intelligence has been identified as a potential source of issues, with specialists assigned to counteract AI threats. Further, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, dismantled networks of regime-linked fake accounts last year. These accounts, known as ‘ciberclarias’ in Cuba, spread officialist messages and discredited opponents, reaching hundreds of thousands before being taken down.
Read the full article in English on cubanet.org, using Google Translate.
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