Dezinformatsiya

The United States Intelligence Community appropriated usage of the term disinformation in the 1950s from the Russian dezinformatsiya,
In the post-Soviet era, disinformation evolved to become a key tactic in the military doctrine of Russia.[30]
The European Union and NATO saw Russian disinformation in the early 21st century as such a problem that they both set up special units to analyze and debunk fabricated falsehoods[30]. NATO founded a modest facility in Latvia to respond to disinformation[31] and, following agreement by heads of state and governments in March 2015 the EU created the European External Action Service East Stratcom Task Force, which publishes weekly reports in its website "EU vs Disinfo"[32]. The website and its partners identified and debunked over 3,500 pro-Kremlin disinformation cases between September 2015 and November 2017[32].
Methods used by Russia during this period included its Kremlin-controlled mouthpieces: news agency Sputnik News and television outlet Russia Today (RT).[30] When explaining the 2016 annual report of the Swedish Security Service on disinformation, representative Wilhelm Unge stated: "We mean everything from Internet trolls to propaganda and misinformation spread by media companies like RT and Sputnik."[30]

Disinformation - Wikipedia

Disinformation is false information spread deliberately to deceive.[1][2][3] The English word disinformation is a translation of the Russian dezinformatsiya,[1][2][3] derived from the title of a KGB black propaganda department.[4] The book Disinformation…

EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG

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COP30 attacks fake news with Declaration on Information Integrity- "tackling the silent saboteur, climate disinformation"- Now a Warning part 1 of 3 at Heating Planet blog

Launched during COP30 in Belém Nov 12,The Declaration on Information Integrity on Climate brings together nations, UN agencies, and civil organizations in a commitment to combat misinformation, which threatens the fight against the climate crisis. Two very similar short videos appeared on YouTube right after the Declaration announcement; both are here w transcripts. 

Corroboration:  https://earth.org/cop30-launches-global-declaration-to-combat-climate-misinformation-fake-news/ 

***

Video 1- COP30: Countries Unite to Fight Climate Disinformation In the battle for truth in the climate crisis. A new front opens at COP 30. For the first time, the UN climate summit is tackling a silent saboteur, climate disinformation. But here's where it gets controversial. Can we truly combat misinformation without infringing on free speech? 

Brazilian President Luis Enosio Lula Da Silva kicked off COP30 in the Amazonian city of Balum with a rallying cry against climate deniers. He declared this summit the cop of truth, emphasizing the urgent need to counter the spread of fake news and misrepresentation in an era where scientific evidence is under attack. 

This focus on information integrity was echoed by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres who highlighted the dangers of online harassment, greenwashing, and the silencing of scientists. He stressed that researchers must be able to speak truth to power without fear of repercussions. And this is the part most people miss. 

1.00

The rise of climate disinformation isn't just about spreading doubt. It's a deliberate strategy with real world consequences. A recent report revealed a staggering 267% increase in COP related disinformation in the months leading up to the summit. Terms like failure and catastrophe were strategically linked to the UN climate talks, sewing seeds of cynicism and apathy. 

This orchestrated campaign, as Charlotte Scatteren of UN Global Communications pointed out, benefits fossil fuel interests, certain political actors, and online influencers who profit from outrage and misinformation. Climate change, she warned, is being weaponized to polarize societies and undermine democratic processes. 

Recognizing the gravity of the situation, over 100 countries, civil society organizations, indigenous groups, and global leaders signed a landmark declaration on information integrity on climate change. This declaration commits signatories to six key actions, including-

2.05

Ensuring the accuracy of climate information while safeguarding free speech, a delicate balance that sparks much debate, supporting independent media in reporting on environmental issues, making evidence-based information accessible to all, building capacity to identify and counter threats to information integrity. The declaration also calls upon the private sector to uphold information integrity in their business practices and advertising, promoting transparency and respect for human rights. 

But is this enough? While the declaration is a crucial step, the fight against climate disinformation is far from over. The International Panel on the Information Environment, IPIE, and the Climate Social Science Network have shown that organized climate obstruction is actively delaying our response to the crisis, jeopardizing the Paris Agreement goals and putting millions of lives at risk. 

3.03

The global initiative for information integrity on climate change, a partnership between Brazil, the UN, and UNESCOR, aims to provide a platform for journalists and researchers to combat disinformation. However, its success hinges on widespread adoption and effective implementation. What do you think? Can we effectively combat climate disinformation while preserving free speech? How can we hold those who spread misinformation accountable without stifling legitimate debate? The battle for truth in the climate crisis is just beginning, and your voice matters. 

[Keblogger: The battle may be just beginning for COPs, but many of us at home on our laptops have been fighting against disinformation- wham wham wham- over and over on X and Facebook and everywhere else that these nitwits post lies. Where has the UN been for the last 20 years while all this disinformation was being spread? And if you're going to help independent media, Heating Planet blog could use a PayPal click, I do this work without any parties. And PS Everyone who criticizes you is not getting paid by the fossil fuel industry, we just are telling it like it is.]

***

Video 2 COP30: The Fight Against Climate Disinformation - What Countries Are Committing To Picture this. In a world teetering on 

Picture this. In a world teetering on the brink of climate catastrophe, the spread of lies about our planet's warming isn't just a nuisance. It's a dangerous weapon undermining our very survival. But get ready because at the UN climate summit this year, world leaders are stepping up to battle misinformation head-on in a groundbreaking way. 

Dubbed the COP of truth, COP 30 in the lush Amazonian city of BM marks the first time climate disinformation and the integrity of information have taken center stage. And this is the part most people miss. It's not just about facts. It's about safeguarding democracy and human progress against those who profit from chaos. 

Brazilian President Luis Inosio Lula Da Silva kicked off COP30  on Monday with a fiery plea for global leaders to crush climate deniers once and for all. We are in an age where dark forces dismiss science and assail trusted institutions, Lula declared, urging everyone to strike another blow against deniialism in this era plagued by fake news and deceit. He positioned COP30 as the ultimate showdown for truth where honesty triumphs over fabrication. 

Building on this momentum, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres shone a spotlight on the issue in the leadup to the summit. He called for a united front against misinformation, online bullying, and deceptive greenwashing tactics that mask corporate greed. 

1.20

Experts and scientists must speak freely without fear, Guterres emphasized, reinforcing the idea that unfiltered truth is our best defense. Then on Wednesday, the global initiative for information integrity on climate change unveiled its declaration on information integrity on climate change right there in Belem. This is a historic moment. For the first time, nations are formally pledging to uphold the accuracy of climate information and push back against false narratives. 

But here's where it gets controversial. While champions hail this as a victory for accountability, critics might argue it's a slippery slope toward government censorship. We'll dive into that debate later. Why should you care? Charlotte Scatteren, a senior adviser on information integrity for UN global communications, explained it poignantly at the declaration's launch. 

She described our current era as a perilous crossroads where humanity's twin crises, climate change, and information decay are dangerously entangled. "A growing mistrust in facts is alarming," she said, noting how climate issues are being exploited to divide societies and erode democratic norms. 

"The real beneficiaries: fossil fuel giants, opportunistic politicians, and online influencers cashing in on viral outrage and faucets. 

2,40

Imagine, for instance, how a single viral tweet distorting COP 30 could sway public opinion and delay crucial action. It's like pouring fuel on an already raging fire. This surge in disinformation isn't hypothetical. 

A recent report from Climate Action Against Disinformation and the Observatory for Information integrity revealed a staggering 267% spike in climate related falsehoods between July and September this year. Keywords tied to the UN summit popped up 14,000 times alongside grim words like failure, catastrophe, disaster, and joke. 

It's a stark reminder of how easy it is for misinformation to amplify doubts and stall progress. Not to be outdone, hundreds of civil society groups, indigenous communities, activists, and leaders signed an open letter earlier that day. They urge governments to push for a robust mandatory decision at COP 30 to protect information integrity. 

3.42

Signitaries include climate trailblazers like Cristiana Faggeres, the architect of the Paris Agreement and organizations such as the European Climate Foundation, Climate Action Network International, and 350 .org. The letter frames the pollution of our information landscape as more than a climate problem. It's a multifaceted global emergency that threatens us all. [transcript continues below]

lol you gotta laugh or you won't make it. -keblogger

*****

CONT'D

Backing this up, studies from the International Panel on Information Environment and the Climate Social Science Network highlight how coordinated obstruction efforts are sabotaging our response to the crisis. These tactics delay international collaboration, make the Paris agreement's targets seem unreachable, and endanger millions of lives. 

Think of it like a game where the rules are rigged. While we're trying to build solutions, hidden players are spreading confusion to keep the status quo. So, what exactly are countries committing to through the declaration? 

4.31

It's all about confronting deceptive climate narratives head-on. The six key pledges include guaranteeing the accuracy of climate data without stifling free expression, bolstering independent journalism on environmental topics, democratizing access to evidence-based knowledge, and equipping people with tools to spot threats to information honesty. 

It also challenges the private sector to embrace ethical business practices and ensure ads are transparent and respectful of human rights. In their own words, by signing, nations affirm a collective duty to arm societies with the facts needed to tackle the climate emergency urgently and effectively. 

Right now, 12 countries have put their names on the declaration. Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Uruguay. This is just the beginning, and it's inspiring to see such diverse nations uniting. 

Now, let's break down what the global initiative for information integrity on climate change is all about. Launched as a collaboration between Brazil, the UN, and UNESCO, this initiative fights climate disinformation at its roots. Announced during the G20 leader summit in Rio de Janeiro last November, it aims to provide reliable info on climate disruption so we can overcome it. UNESCRO director general Audrey Aellet captured its essence without trustworthy details on climate issues. 

5.58

Victory is impossible. We'll back journalists and researchers who brave dangers to uncover truths and combat the rampant lies on social media. 

[Heating Planet blog has not heard from them]

The initiative boasts support from member states like Brazil, Chile, Denmark, France, Morocco, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Uruguay. And just recently, for more countries, Belgium, Canada, Finland, and Germany joined, swelling the membership to 13. 

This expansion shows growing global resolve, but it also raises questions. Is this a noble stand for science, or could it inadvertently limit open debate? After all, in the name of fighting a disinformation, where do we draw the line between helpful fact-checking and overreach? 

[Um, if it totally contradicts science] 

As we wrap this up, consider this thought-provoking angle. While protecting information integrity seems essential for tackling climate change, does it risk infringing on free speech? 

[No. And why do both of these fact-filled videos that appeared with the COP30 announcement ask that question? There are not two sides to science. The deniers are liars with an agenda, not a worthy adversary in legitimate debate. GO AFTER THEM!]

***

Read the COP30 Declaration PDF

https://www.unesco.org/sites/default/files/medias/fichiers/2025/11/2025.11.12%20-%20COP%2030%20-%20%20Declaration%20on%20Information%20Integrity%20on%20Climate%20Change_final_ok.pdf?hub=780 The Declaration on Information Integrity on Climate calls on governments to create policies of transparency and safety for journalists, scientists, and environmental advocates, and to ensure public access to climate data. 

***

[Now a Warning part 2 and 3 coming shortly, part 1 took longer than anticipated]

[KE: Everything climate scientists predicted about global warming/ climate change  since the 1970s is coming true, only faster] 

I can't help thinking: Mass shootings, covid lies, wealth disparity are part of a covert attack on USA from the shadows

I can't help thinking the fact that USA just lost three wars- Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan, none of which we should have even engaged in- has something to do with the mess we are in today.  Especially when I see how many mass shooting victims are children, I can't help thinking of all the children USA slaughtered as collateral damage when our troops carried out drone attacks in the Middle East from computer screens. I can't help thinking that somehow someone is orchestrating these gun slaughters in retaliation for those US Army drone attacks on civilians, that someone from those very nations we attacked is now using persuasive disinformation on the dark web to reach vulnerable and willing American AR15 owners with messaging that U.S. law enforcement does not even see.  

I can't help thinking if we keep allowing white supremacists and freelance militias to grow in our nation, the new entity that will develop- which we can't even imagine today- will be worse than what developed in Germany in the 1930s while its citizens looked the other way and pretended something horrible was not growing in power around them. Imagine, what could be new and more evil and powerful than the Nazis were last century?

I can't help thinking the American government has become incapable of solving a problem as blatant as humans living on the street in tents and wrecked RVs in Los Angeles while mansions sit empty on L.A.'s West Side. Angelenos voted in 2016 to spend $6 billion to build housing for the homeless and six years later almost none has appeared, the few structures that did go up costing close to a million dollars for each unit.  There are ways to solve these problems, but American officials get bogged down, immobilized, rendered impotent by invisible constraints and the problems keep getting worse.  

I can't help thinking about covid disinformation- that it was a hoax and that wearing a mask was more dangerous than the virus- caused our pandemic casualty numbers to go higher than one million last month.  Today different strains of SARS are still spreading in USA while every news group and entertainment venue announces, “the pandemic is over"; I can't help wondering what public health professionals and epidemiologists feel while their only way to counter with truth is to post pleadings on social media, “the pandemic is not over,” which posts are then bombarded with disinformation attacks in their comments saying, “oh you're just living in fear” as persons who take covid seriously are demeaned and teased and vilified on Twitter etcetera. Disinformation is a weapon of war that kills from secret locations. 

I can't help thinking there are intel agents in Russia and the Middle East whose entire job is to spread lies in USA over the internet with the goal of killing Americans without having to leave their desks. 

I can't help thinking USA has become impotent to fight back against disinformation warfare because it lost those three wars and never acknowledged any wrongdoing on America's part. Now a cadre of international corporate elites run the U.S. government from behind the scenes, as leaders of these disinformation attacks.  You don’t have to be an American citizen to own large chunks of stock in American corporations and sit on boards of directors.  Who is making the decisions then, really, to continue allowing the wealthy to pay no taxes, to continue construction of luxury mansions while so many Americans live on sidewalks. How much did global weapons manufacturers influence Biden's decision to send millions of dollars worth of war weapons to Ukraine while Americans can't afford to buy groceries or fill up gas tanks. Who is behind the move.to force Americans to work at slave wages while the corporate owners purchase new and larger yachts? Who is really in charge?

I can't help thinking there's a connection between the number of weapons of war now in the hands of individuals in American neighborhoods and the disinformation warfare that is being carried out in so many places in our nation.  The Second Amendment does not advocate for stockpiles of assault rifles in suburban backyards, but there's a whole generation of Americans who think it does, thanks to disinformation, funded by NRA, fueled apparently by Russian agents, carried out perhaps in coordination with Saudi Arabia? 

I can't help thinking the persons running everything in USA from places where no one can see them are from the nations we attacked for no legitimate reason, making casualties of their economies and population for no legitimate reason; then USA had to withdraw from their nations leaving behind massive resources because America had once again lost a war after engaging in it for no legitimate reason. 

I can't help thinking maybe we’d all be better off if whoever is running this country from behind the scenes stepped out of the shadows and just took over, by seizing the military grade weapons from civilians saying fuck your Second Amendment, by sweeping up homeless persons and installing them in the unoccupied luxury condos that have recently gone up in so many American cities, by emptying over populated private sector prisons and building factories and farms for persons who have no where to go to work and live, by being forceful that everyone has to follow public health protocols during a killer-virus pandemic. 

I can't help thinking we might be better off if USA lies down and lets this other entity that is covertly running everything to just take over for a while, trusting that whatever happens, it can't be much worse than what we're going through now.

We need forcefulness- not timidity and fear of retaliation and losing elections- at this critical time in history, before things get even worse than they are now.

I can't help thinking what may seem like the worst solution may be the only one we've got.

Can we surrender and make it all stop? I am thinking...

*

Posted by Kay Ebeling

Producer, City of Angels Blog since Jan 2007

The City of Angels Is Everywhere 

Homeless camps outside VA in L.A. last year (L.A. Times photo)

PS: When did redacted docs and spokespersons saying "I'm not at liberty to divulge" appear in USA? Pretty sure since I was a woke teenager in 1960s, I never encountered either. Today's secrecy was a gradual loss of freedom that Americans are now accepting as normal. IT'S NOT!!! I think this clandestine day-to-day business started when NYT and WaPo released The Pentagon Papers showing Vietnam was a giant war crime. The Powers That Be have been pushing back and covering things up with more determination ever since.

*

Guns now the leading cause of death for children in the U.S.

By KAREN ANN CULLOTTA

JUN 3, 2022

*

Enjoy your Saturday while  you can 

Speakers spread weaponized anti-American disinformation at county govt meetings

 Open Letter to Orange County CA Board of Supervisors:

As a former resident of San Clemente and a former public information staffer for NASA and the U.S. Navy, I have watched recent BOS meetings in Santa Ana with great interest. Disinformation is a weapon of war and it seems there is a population of persons in Orange County who have been so well targeted with weaponized propaganda that they fervently believe the lies. They are so adamant that they are right and everyone else is wrong that they dominate every meeting by taking the microphone to shout threats, make intimidating predictions, and wild-eyed repeat false facts that can be proven false with five minutes of research to news and government websites.

This propaganda is not just innocent lies. Claims that popular elections cannot be trusted are a direct attack on the foundation of democracy. Lies that it is not a virus that is killing people but the vaccine against the virus that is killing people are a direct attempt to Kill Americans.

At yesterday’s meeting a public speaker claimed two Iranians were heroes for pointing out that voting machines produced fraudulent election results. In truth, on Nov 18 the DOJ released the story headlined “Two Iranian Nationals Charged for Cyber-Enabled Disinformation and Threat Campaign Designed to Influence the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election” reporting that two Iranian agents had been indicted for hacking into information systems and spreading false election information, including that voting machines produce fraudulent results. 

The DOJ news release is copied at end of this post. Here is a link to the news release at DOJ website about their arrest: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/two-iranian-nationals-charged-cyber-enabled-disinformation-and-threat-campaign-designed?fbclid=IwAR0KOPVe9dY795tFRmMb3ZQNEL7TGM3rLyJudaD-hYG7P6wHDqna6mrbHgI

Why didn't a supervisor stop the speaker right at that moment to point out the true story and that her claims are disinformation? 

It's bad enough that this group of Orange County residents, mesmerized into believing they need to spread anti-American messaging, are able to disrupt every attempt by Supervisors to conduct business.  Worse still is that this dissemination of weaponized disinformation that is aimed at destroying USA and killing Americans is being broadcast at every Board meeting. 

I know you can't stop them from speaking. But is anyone working to find out why so many Orange County residents believe this propaganda? Was your region targeted by foreign agents as a soft target for weaponized disinformation? If so, what is it about Orange County that makes so many residents vulnerable to blatant lies and misreading of science and history, empowering them to show up at every meeting certain that they have information that the rest of us need to have, when actually the rest of us have heard it and know it's not true.  

Can you make some effort to counter the disinformation, such as pointing out the obvious lies in the films “2000 Mules” and “Died Suddenly” to which these speakers refer to often as "Important Documentaries We All Need to Watch"? 

They are about as credible as "Reefer Madness." 

Also why is no news organization reporting on this misinformation phenomenon in Orange County, where there seems to be a small local army ready to spread every lie, not seeming t o realize that they are doing the work of foreign agents whose purpose is to destroy USA and Democracy? 

For instance the claim that paper ballots are more reliable than electronic machines is easily refuted.  Machines leave a footprint that can be confirmed, pieces of paper can easily end up in a poll worker’s pockets.

I AM ALARMED that disinformation that is aimed at destroying USA is finding its way so easily into the population of Orange County and apparently those in charge are not doing anything to make it stop, or to prove it is disinformation, or to show the destruction these lies are causing.

Please don’t just sit there letting these public speakers carry out an attack on USA.

Sincerely

Kay Ebeling

Temporarily living in South Lake Tahoe

Sent by email to:

 Donald.Wagner@ocgov.com  Fourth.District@ocgov.com  Andrew.Do@ocgov.com Katrina.Foley@ocgov.com  Lisa.Bartlett@ocgov.com  LaShe.Rodriguez@ocgov.com Al.Jabbar@ocgov.com  Jannelle.Welker@ocgov.com

As well as to members of local news media

tharmonson@scng.com tbray@scng.com  admin@voiceofoc.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, November 18, 2021

Two Iranian Nationals Charged for Cyber-Enabled Disinformation and Threat Campaign Designed to Influence the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election

An indictment was unsealed in New York today charging two Iranian nationals for their involvement in a cyber-enabled campaign to intimidate and influence American voters, and otherwise undermine voter confidence and sow discord, in connection with the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

According to court documents, Seyyed Mohammad Hosein Musa Kazemi (سید محمد حسین موسی کاظمی), aka Mohammad Hosein Musa Kazem, aka Hosein Zamani, 24, and Sajjad Kashian (سجاد کاشیان), aka Kiarash Nabavi, 27, both of Iran, obtained confidential U.S. voter information from at least one state election website; sent threatening email messages to intimidate and interfere with voters; created and disseminated a video containing disinformation about purported election infrastructure vulnerabilities; attempted to access, without authorization, several states’ voting-related websites; and successfully gained unauthorized access to a U.S. media company’s computer network that, if not for successful FBI and victim company efforts to mitigate, would have provided the conspirators another vehicle to disseminate false claims after the election.

“This indictment details how two Iran-based actors waged a targeted, coordinated campaign to erode confidence in the integrity of the U.S. electoral system and to sow discord among Americans,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The allegations illustrate how foreign disinformation campaigns operate and seek to influence the American public. The Department is committed to exposing and disrupting malign foreign influence efforts using all available tools, including criminal charges.”

“As alleged, Kazemi and Kashian were part of a coordinated conspiracy in which Iranian hackers sought to undermine faith and confidence in the U.S. presidential election,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York. “Working with others, Kazemi and Kashian accessed voter information from at least one state’s voter database, threatened U.S. voters via email, and even disseminated a fictitious video that purported to depict actors fabricating overseas ballots. The United States will never tolerate any foreign actors’ attempts to undermine our free and democratic elections. As a result of the charges unsealed today, and the concurrent efforts of our U.S. government partners, Kazemi and Kashian will forever look over their shoulders as we strive to bring them to justice.”

“The FBI remains committed to countering malicious cyber activity targeting our democratic process,” said Assistant Director Bryan Vorndran of the FBI’s Cyber Division. “Working rapidly with our private sector and U.S. government partners and ahead of the election, we were able to disrupt and mitigate this malicious activity – and then to enable today’s joint, sequenced operations against the adversary. Today’s announcement shows what we can accomplish as a community and a country when we work together, and the FBI will continue to do its part to keep our democracy safe.”

According to the allegations contained in the indictment unsealed today:

The Voter Intimidation and Influence Campaign

Starting in approximately August 2020, and proceeding until November 2020, Kazemi, Kashian, and other co-conspirators began a coordinated, campaign to undermine faith and confidence in the 2020 presidential election (the “Voter Intimidation and Influence Campaign”) and otherwise sow discord within U.S. society. The Campaign had four components:

• In September and October 2020, members of the conspiracy conducted reconnaissance on, and attempted to compromise, approximately 11 state voter websites, including state voter registration websites and state voter information websites. Those efforts resulted in the successful exploitation of a misconfigured computer system of a particular U.S. state (“State-1”), and the resulting unauthorized downloading of information concerning more than 100,000 of State-1’s voters.
• In October 2020, members of the conspiracy, claiming to be a “group of Proud Boys volunteers,” sent Facebook messages and emails (the “False Election Messages”) to Republican Senators, Republican members of Congress, individuals associated with the presidential campaign of Donald J. Trump, White House advisors, and members of the media. The False Election Messages claimed that the Democratic Party was planning to exploit “serious security vulnerabilities” in state voter registration websites to “edit mail-in ballots or even register non-existent voters.” The False Election Messages were accompanied by a video (the “False Election Video”) carrying the Proud Boys logo, which purported, via simulated intrusions and the use of State-1 voter data, to depict an individual hacking into state voter websites and using stolen voter information to create fraudulent absentee ballots through the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) for military and overseas voters.[1]
• Also in October 2020, the conspirators engaged in an online voter intimidation campaign involving the dissemination of a threatening message (the “Voter Threat Emails”), purporting to be from the Proud Boys, to tens of thousands of registered voters, including some voters whose information the conspiracy had obtained from State-1’s website. The emails were sent to registered Democrats and threatened the recipients with physical injury if they did not change their party affiliation and vote for President Trump.
• On Nov. 4, 2020, the day after the 2020 U.S. presidential election, the conspirators sought to leverage earlier September and October 2020 intrusions into an American media company’s (Media Company-1) computer networks. Specifically, on that day, the conspirators attempted to use stolen credentials to again access Media Company-1’s network, which would have provided them another vehicle for further disseminating false claims concerning the election through conspirator-modified or created content. However, because of an earlier FBI victim notification, Media Company-1 had by that time mitigated the conspirators’ unauthorized access and these log-in attempts failed.

Background on Kazemi and Kashian

Kazemi and Kashian are experienced Iran-based computer hackers who worked as contractors for an Iran-based company formerly known as Eeleyanet Gostar, and now known as Emennet Pasargad. Eeleyanet Gostar purported to provide cybersecurity services within Iran. Among other things, Eeleyanet Gostar is known to have provided services to the Iranian government, including to the Guardian Council.

As part of his role in the Voter Intimidation and Influence Campaign, Kazemi compromised computer servers that were used to send the Voter Threat Emails, drafted those emails, and compromised the systems of Media Company-1. Kashian managed the conspirators’ computer infrastructure used to carry out the Voter Threat Emails campaign and he purchased social media accounts in furtherance of the Voter Intimidation and Influence Campaign.

Kazemi and Kashian are both charged with one count of conspiracy to commit computer fraud and abuse, intimidate voters, and transmit interstate threats, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; one count of voter intimidation, which carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison; and one count of transmission of interstate threats, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Kazemi is additionally charged with one count of unauthorized computer intrusion, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; and one count of computer fraud, namely, knowingly damaging a protected computer, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Concurrent with the unsealing of the indictment, the Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Emennet Pasargad, Kazemi, Kashian, and four other Iranian nationals comprising Emennet Pasargad leadership pursuant to Executive Order 13848, “Imposing Certain Sanctions in the Event of Foreign Interference in a United States Election.” Additionally, the Department of State’s Rewards for Justice Program, is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information on or about the Kazemi and Kashian’s activities.

The FBI’s Cyber Division and Cleveland Field Office are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dina McLeod and Louis A. Pellegrino and Trial Attorney Adam Small of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

---

[1]  In actuality, the computer intrusions depicted in the False Election Video were simulated intrusions created by members of the conspiracy using their own server and data obtained during the State-1 exploitation. Further, the FVAP could not actually be leveraged in the manner implied by the False Election Video.

-ke

COP30 press conf anti-disinformation "coordinated efforts to stall and sabotage climate action by powerful interests" 32-min video w transcript, Heating Planet blog- Now a Warning part 2

"This is the COP of truth. We must defeat denialism in the age of disinformation" -Pres Lula, marking 2025 as first time the COP action agenda included "information integrity"; misinformation did not take the floor at COP in 29 years. WATCH Press conference of the Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change Nov 12, 2025  COP30 Brasil Amazônia video TRANSCRIPT belowPart 1 of Now a Warning is here https://cityofangels25.blogspot.com/2025/11/cop30-hits-fake-news-w-declaration-on.html

TRANSCRIPT

0.53

Hello everybody. Welcome to this press conference on the global initiative for information integrity on climate change. The initiative was launched a year ago at the G20 summit in Rio by Brazil, UNESCO, and the UN. And it has come a long way. There's a lot of momentum for it here at the COP. So, we're excited to brief you on that. And with that, I will actually hand right over to the first speaker or maybe let me quickly introduce all the speakers. 

Actually we have Charlotte Scatteren, senior adviser on information integrity at the UN global communications department in New York. We have Mr. Guierme Canela director of digital inclusion and policies and digital transformation at UNESCO. We have Mr. Jo Brandt, secretary of digital policies at the presidency of the Republic of Brazil. And we have Mr. Federrico Ais, special envoy for information integrity, appointed by Brazil. With that, over to you, Charlotte. 

2.00

Thanks, Martina. and thanks everyone for being here. It's, it's really amazing actually to be here in BelemM and see the, momentum and energy around information integrity, which is a concept and a topic that we, you know, we really weren't talking much about a couple of years ago. From the UN perspective, we see and feel that we are at a critical juncture where two of humanity's most pressing challenges have become quite dangerously intertwined and are converging. 

So first we're witnessing really an unprecedented erosion of the integrity of our information ecosystem. And that comes about through disinformation, through hate online and offline, through harassment of of expert voices and targeting of of researchers and scientists and others. But also through polarizing echo chambers, through a lack of media freedom, through the demise of independent media and journalism. through misleading advertising; and through a whole range of risks stemming from emerging technologies that we really barely have a sense of yet. 

3.12

And this all contributes to a deeply concerning trend that we're seeing around the world. And that is a lack of trust in information, a lack of trust in information sources as people increasingly just don't know what's real and what to believe. 

And then secondly, of course, is the climate crisis. This is why we're all here. and relatedly, coordinated efforts to stall and to sabotage climate action by powerful interests who benefit from the status quo. 

The UN's first ever global risk report which was released in July of this year confirmed what many of us have been observing for some time and that is that mis- and disinformation represent a top global vulnerability; and it's one for which the international community is insufficiently prepared to address. It's been globally underestimated and it's still unfolding. 

And this was closely followed in the report by environmental vulnerabilities. So purveyors of climate disinformation don't simply deny climate change. They undermine climate action by attacking researchers, scientists, and journalists personally by questioning the scientific consensus around climate change, and creating false narratives around climate solutions. 

4.28

And they're also seeking to skew the perceptions of policy makers of the people here negotiating to make them think that the public opposes climate action when in reality the opposite is true. And the problem is twofold as we see it because climate change is being weaponized as a wedge issue to polarize entire societies and to undermine and disrupt democratic processes. 

So what we're witnessing is a kind of sophisticated what we call information laundering. So it's false claims that are kind of deliberately cycled through multiple platforms to appear credible. It's much like money laundering but with disinformation. 

And the winners in this economy, this disinformation economy because it is fossil fuel interests. They are certain political actors and they're digital influencers online who are monetizing outrage and lies. And obviously those who lose out first and foremost are the marginalized communities around the world who face disproportionate harm. Democratic institutions, media and media viability and public trust in information continues to erode and of course economic stability weakens. 

5.40

So this huge challenge that I've just outlined is why we launched as Martina just mentioned the global initiative for information integrity on climate change. It was almost exactly a year ago actually along with the government of Brazil and UNESCO. but we have several countries involved and it is a growing coalition including with many civil society actors and the private sector. And really it was built on three pillars and that is to strengthen and support research around climate disinformation and to fund projects for strategic action and and strategic communications especially in the global south and to integrate information integrity into COP 30  processes which is in large part why we're here this week and you know we've already seen a huge step forward on this last objective.

because information integrity was added to the COP action agenda here for COP 30 for the first time ever-

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Keblogger: That Rings bells for me. Why hasn't disinformation been on the COP agenda every year since at least 2013 when lies in the news started overtaking USA? I am shocked that the danger and security risks of fake news- and creating ways to combat it- hasn't been on the COP agenda every year and-]

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

6.45 

and we've really been extremely encouraged by the positive response to the initiative since we launched a year ago. It's generated so much momentum around the world and I think it's tapped into the energy and efforts of civil society and government partners and many other stakeholders who very keenly see and understand the risks from information risks in the information environment to the urgent climate action that we all need. 

You know, effective responses to this problem do exist. and we've seen this through our call to action and through the response to our call for proposals to the global fund which I know Guillermo and others will talk about.

Timing matters immensely in this work when you're dealing with information risks that move very quickly and you're dealing with a climate crisis where we don't have any time to spare. We need to act quickly. 

And we also see major vulnerability windows. We see them around cops. We see them around elections. We see them around extreme weather events. These are all moments when climate disinformation campaigns intensify. So COP 30 is really as we see it our greatest opportunity yet. information integrity has been more visible than ever before I think at any COP. and the declaration that we're launching today on information integrity on climate change which I know our colleagues will talk about is really a potential breakthrough moment for establishing this as a core climate action area. 

8.07

We must recognize that information integrity is fundamental to climate action. We can't achieve climate action and a livable future without strengthening our information ecosystem. And our response has to reflect this reality. So you know for us the coming months especially but years too are going to determine whether we can preserve both the information environment necessary for democratic decision-making and societal progress and the global cooperation we need for addressing the climate crisis. 

and this year this past year of the global initiative I think has shown us that while the challenge is clearly very immense so is our collective capacity for impact. So, you know, we really now need to scale up and cement some of these efforts that we've seen as we look beyond COP 30 and to COP 31. So, I'll stop there and let my colleagues come in. 

*Charlotte, I'll hand the floor to Joe Brandt. 

*Good afternoon. Sorry about that. It's a pleasure to be here. It's the first time that information integrity takes the floor here at the COP process and I think that's a big achievement of many organizations, international organizations, countries, civil society and academic researchers that have been that joined together in November 2024 when Brazil was was finishing its presidency of the G20 and defined to launch along with UNESCO, UN, UNFCCC and all the partners this global initiative for information integrity on climate change. 

9.48

We had some milestones since then. In July, UNESCO launched a call that Guillermo will mention that had 500 proposals presenting for a fund to fund new projects. On that, we had a call to action to shed a light on initiatives that are already in place. We're talking about of course lots of different different actions that were taken for decades on these topics but were not organized under the umbrella of information integrity. So we have to acknowledge the ones that were already there and things that could be understood as best practices. 

And we actually had the main goal to bring this topic to the COP 30 action agenda program and the ACE negotiation process and I think we'll have Fred Rico also talking more about that but it's good to harvest what we planted in the last months. 

This wouldn't be possible without an alliance with civil society and academic networks. I would mention specifically here the forum on information and democracy, the information panel the international panel on information environment IPIE, the SCAD climate action against disinformation and of course the action of lots different Brazilian organizations in our case that are dedicated to build a Brazilian chapter more than 100 organizations mobilized for that. 

[And every one of them has a director, staff, fundraisers, attorneys, and accountants; meanwhile Coastal Villages are going underwater.]

11.21

Tthis leads to a plan to accelerate solutions. That is something that the the Brazilian presidency of the COP process is proposing and there is a specific plan on the objective number  information promoting information integrity and I would highlight among 10  different strategies that are there. 

the charter of principles for accountable climate advertising that the initiative will be building and promoting until COP . And we are also engaging in a dialogue round table with relevant stakeholders including the private sector companies to find commitment, the common ground for commitments and to act upon the problem of the threats to information integrity. 

Finally, I would like to mention the countries that are signing the declaration together that is being launched today. we have 10 countries the the initiative we we just invited the countries involved with the initiative to to sign so far; and now it's been open for non-members to get their signatures; but so we have it been launched signed by Brazil, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden and Uruguay. 

12.46

So all these 10 countries are together today calling and launching a call to action. It's only- we are talking about six commitments but calls to the private sector, calls to governments, calls to civil society and academia, and call for funders. So that's I think the the beginning of a strong journey that we're planting together. Thank you very much.* 

[Keblogger: So, what are they going to do? meet and talk? They can ask me for ideas I won't even charge them. They have not mentioned one specific action that they are going to carry out to stop the dang lies. But they're going to meet with each other and others, and have catered meals, and hotel per diems; this is making me sick, and hungry.]

*Good afternoon everyone. A pleasure to be here. In 4 days time, 16th of November, UNESCO will celebrate its80 th anniversary. So when the organization was created eight decades ago was created with this unique mandate in the UN system to protect and promote education, culture, science and freedom of expression. 13.46

And in these recent years, we are listening from these very same stakeholders, teachers, scholars, artists, scientists, journalists. Then when they are trying to tackle, as Charlotte was saying, these two crucial issues for humanity in this very moment, information integrity and climate change, they are being attacked. They are being persecuted. and sometimes prosecuted for doing these kind of things. they are facing several difficulties not only vis a vis government vis a vis other powerful actors, they are being silenced.

and because of the difficulties they are they are self censoring themselves in dealing with these issues. So for many years we have been trying to raise awareness or sound the alarms that this interaction between information integrity and climate change is absolutely vital for both fields- for the field of information integrity but also for the field of climate change. And those two crucial issues they depend on each other. They need to interact more. 

And it's very surprising to see that just one year after we jointly launched this initiative in the leader summit of the G20. When I say we, the three of us here, the UN, the UNESCO, and Brazil, we have advanced so much as you just heard from from Charlotte and Gerome. But when we launched these kind of things, we are not always sure what will be the response of the real people, the ones that we needed to be engaged with these kind of discussions.

[You could ask me.]

15.33

And the call for proposals that Jean just underlined. It's a very concrete signalization of the importance of this but also of the gap that this initiative is trying to fulfill. In just one month, more than 500 organizations coming from 100 countries took the lengthy path and journey to submit a proposal to UNESCO, a full proposal with brilliant ideas on how to tackle this issue, on how to better evidence to then later produce better policies and strategies to tackle this challenge, this intersection between information integrity and climate change. 

These organizations were are asking us $40 million which again is a nice sign that there is a strong need there and if we have resources not only financial but also this political will that is being demonstrated here. We have the response of the other side. We have concrete concrete people, organizations, journalists, investigative journalists, researchers, scientists, NOS's ready to do the job, ready to embark with us in this concrete journey to not this to be the first only the first cop and the last cop to have information integrity as a key point, but to continue the journey because it's an issue that I'm afraid will remain in our agendas for a long time. 

17.02

So from our perspective these these very  these exactly  months they are offering us important hope in the mi in the in in a in a moment that this issue is in the very heart of the global agenda not only the the distrust in the climate science but the overall problems visav information integrity you will be able to meet during these days here including the higher level event that will happen in in a few moments. Some of the first grantees of the initiative and this is also very interesting because it's not about us it's about them. It's about protecting these beneficiaries stimulating them to create this wave that we hope will be a longlasting wave. Thank you.* 

Thank you very much [overlapping] Martina. Just one breaking news. It's we now have an 11th signature which from the Netherlands. [applause] So now we can start a soccer team at least to for the information integrity soccer team is complete now. Good. Amazing news. Congrats. Now Federico Asis, I know you'd like to make some remarks in Portuguese. I'm not sure if there's interpretation, but go ahead. Is there an interpreter? Is there is there a No. Nope. 

18.28

*So I'll speak in English. good afternoon everyone. It's a real pleasure to be with you. I'll comment a bit on the state of art of information integrity on climate within the COP process. President Lula sent a very clear message during the opening of the conference that this is the cop of truth. We must defeat again deniialism. We live in the age of disinformation and well as you know disinformation and deniialism undermine trust in science in institutions, feeds and fuels hate speech extremism.

So it's a real risk, and we are up to respond to this; and as we know worst of all the most vulnerable people suffer the climate crisis effect in the most dramatic way. 

So it's the first time the issue has been included in the action agenda as Jon my good friend Jon said and from now my role was engaging different stakeholders political leaders religious leaders social movements civil society media outlets and I'm trying to engage the big tech at least in in a harm reduction perspective. 

[Great, call on all the people who've been running things for the last 30 years and ignore everybody else. I think this is what's called meta.]

20.08

But from now on it's time for implementation and we are here for that. And well that's the first time that special envoy for this team was appointed and it's a very good sign of our commitments on that matter. So I think we are- Brazil actually is one of the protagonist both on the climate agenda and the information integrity one. So we are here to build together with you the international community civil society and I we are at your disposal here. 

*The floor is now open for any questions from the media. Yes, please. And if you could identify yourself, please once you get the mic, 

*thank you very much Al from Norwegian newspaper. I have a question about state actors role in this. There's been several reports and examples of Russia spreading disinformation about climate science, about European climate policy, and even during the extreme weather events in Spain. So my question to Jo Brandt is what is the message from Brazil to Russia on this matter. Thank you. 

21.44

*We're not talking and directing any questions directly to any country or any leader. We are calling society to engage in a fight for information integrity on climate change. We're fighting, we're sending a message of course to all the countries to engage in the fight for climate change. So I think if we pick up specific issues or pick up specific fights, we lose the battle the this how you see the forest and the capacity of ourselves to move from bottom up; and with the engagement of civil society, academia and other players to actually have a wave of information integrity, a wave of truth for this topic. 

*****

Part one is here

COP30 attacks fake news with Declaration on Information Integrity- "tackling the silent saboteur, climate disinformation"- Now a Warning part 1 of 3 at Heating Planet blog Launched during COP30 in Belém Nov 12,The Declaration on Information Integrity on Climate

*****

*Other questions? yes, the lady in front. 

*Hi, thank you for this. Darna Noah at the Guardian. Wondering if you could talk a little bit about the role that fossil fuel lobbyists have played at COP and how their role might relate to efforts to promote information integrity. We've seen recent reports that more fossil fuel lobbyists have been present at these negotiations than in recent years than they had previously. So just curious how you how these two things relate in your mind. 

23.03

*I can I will start and then maybe Federico can can continue with that. We know that part of the disinformation come from private sector part of that come from governments part of that come from players that are have different interests financial interests or political interests in the field and it wouldn't be different if I mean the fight for climate action and for the urgency of climate action is has to be taken everywhere in including inside COP of course if COP is a relevant process for climate action, players that want to derail and delay climate action will be acting upon that. So for me it's natural that the players that see the urgency and see the need for action have to be battling in the field and at this moment COP 30 is the field. 

*I just want to add that I think of what is also embedded in your question is one of the key pillars of this global initiative precisely to fund investigative journalism and research etc that can help us to unpack that because we all acknowledge here there is a lot of disinformation about climate change but the details of this information precisely who is behind this the lobbies the conflict of interests, how this is spread, how this is done, if it is different from one cop to the other, from one continent to the other, all these kind of things require more investment, require more investigative journalism, more research about that. 

24.48

So I think council your question is precisely what we are trying to support by creating this initiative and supporting colleagues like yours investigative journalists and researchers to unpack that because there are a lot of things that we simply don't know; and there hence we need this initiative to stimulate that.

*And I'll just add very quickly that you know we're looking at a whole range of behaviors and tactics here to undermine climate action. Disinformation is one, but you know this is a lot of these behaviors are not new. They go back for many decades. You know, and lobbying is a big part of that. But I think just to build on what Guillermo said, that's why we call for transparency as really a core element of all of our efforts to strengthen the information ecosystem. 

It really runs through all of the frameworks that the UN's done and it's certainly key u in the UN global principles for information integrity that the secretary general Antonio Guterres launched about 18 months ago. 

We need transparency. We need to shed light on these behaviors to understand them and then to know how we can respond. So, I think that, you know, if I had to pick one word for what is the one of the first steps we need to address this, transparency would be it for that very reason. 

*Can I ask the sound people to to give us the return also from these mics to put it back at this speaker because otherwise we cannot speak properly what our colleagues are saying. We'll take another question. *Yes, please. 

26.26

Joan Basu from Tedgraph India. [technical] two quick questions. First is that you mentioned about spreading awareness against this disinformation. Does this initiative include the global leaders who are part of this disinformation campaign so to say? And second is I saw the list of countries. I didn't find India, China into that list. Is there is any any discussion going on to have India and China on board about this spreading awareness against the so-called climate disinformation campaign? 

27.18

*so we did a first round of invitations at the end of the G20. for G that was one year ago. We're now restart inviting countries to the initiative. So of course we want we're interested in all the countries that are committed to the principles that are related to the initiative to freedom of expression and access to information and information integrity as part of that, to actually the climate action to the commitment with the climate action. So of course we're open to discuss with all the governments that are committed to these principles. 

Regarding specific leaders, I think I already responded when I talked to responded to first question. We're not talking to specific about specific political characters. We're talking about the need for engagement in an action regarding information integrity to have a wave of truth regarding the climate change. 

*I mean I I can just add something which is to say that you know as the UN we're engaging with all our member states on issues around information integrity and climate action and just to flag that just over a year ago at the summit of the future member states agreed in the general assembly to the path for the future which included the global digital compact which has in it an entire section on commitments to information integrity and to digital trust and safety. So you know this is something about which we are of course engaging with all member states in all regions and and and they have commitments. We are here to help them meet those commitments and offer resources. 

I mentioned the global principles is is one. so you know yes of course these discussions are happening globally and you mentioned state actors. I mean I think the secretary general has been very clear in his position that we must fight disinformation. We must fight online harassment. We must fight greenwashing. We must fight all attempts in the information ecosystem to undermine climate action regardless of the actor. So, you know, our position is clear and I think the responses that we've laid out and that we're pursuing as part of the global initiative really look towards constructive solutions in that regard. 

*I think we have time for one more question. yes, we don't have time. 

[They all need to take off their suits and go where the floods droughts and fires are devastating the planet; and start building new cities that don't rely on fossil fuels and stop spending so much time on airplanes and in hotel hospitality suites. Blogger’s 2 cents]

29.52

*It'll be a quick one. Timmans Roberts, Climate Social Science Network. I hear a bit about a cover text about this initiative. Is there any news on that? 

*You mean the cover decision for the COP whether this issue will be in it? I'm not sure anybody knows at this point. 

*I think I mean I I think we need to ask the those negotiating to be honest to maybe but but but you know one of our goals is of course to try and cement this issue as I've said and we've all said in the COP processes beyond COP 30 which is the reason one of the main reasons why we we've we've doing this declaration right to to kind of capture that momentum and make sure that this issue is one that is not just you know an issue that's at the forefront with a Brazil cop presidency But it remains in the COP process. I mean I think we're very positive in that regard. But we absolutely need to ensure that happens. 

31.02

*I'm happy to inform that we have now a 12th country that has joined. Belgium has just confirmed to sign the declaration. In this space we're going to have until the end of COP we cover the whole world. But anyway it's I'm not too optimistic about that. 

*I I think this this press conference has really mobilized a lot of additional support which is great. Any final words? If not, I think we'll close it here. We have a high level event on this topic starting in 35 minutes at the Brazil Pavilion. You're all welcome to attend. See you there. Thank you.

END OF TRANSCRIPT

[KE: Everything climate scientists predicted about global warming/ climate change since the 1970s is coming true, only faster]