Foreign nations using bots to inflame tensions online
September 12, 2025 – Published on FOX 13 Tampa Bay
After the murder of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, Utah Governor Spencer Cox has issued a warning that enemy nations are weaponizing social media to incite violence and sow division among Americans.
“There is a tremendous amount of disinformation we are tracking,” said Cox.
Scrolling through social media in the last few days, the country can feel more divided than ever. But, Cox said many of the posts fueling outrage are not from fellow Americans.
“What we are seeing is our adversaries want violence,” Cox said. “We have bots from Russia, China, all over the world that are trying to instill disinformation and encourage violence.” Cox is urging people to step away from toxic online spaces.
Cybersecurity strategist Paul Keener with GuidePoint Security said bots are far more common than many realize, making up as much as 20-30% of all internet traffic.
A 2023 study found the issue may be even bigger, with more than half of all cyber traffic traced back to bots. Not all of those are bad actors, but in moments of difficulty, the bad actors can become more aggressive.
“Especially in times like this where there’s polarizing content, you know, the tone becomes super aggressive or polarizing or the replies are context insensitive,” said Keener.
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