NEW YORK, Nov 04 (AFP/BBC): It looks like Kamala Harris's political manifesto, but the catchily titled "Progress 2028" is actually a fake document that a funding watchdog says was produced by a dark money group with ties to Donald Trump's billionaire backer Elon Musk.
Researchers say Progress 2028 -- purportedly a liberal counter to the conservative initiative Project 2025 -- is riddled with misinformation and is behind a series of Facebook ads that distort the Democratic contender's policy positions about key issues such as immigration and gun control.
Backing it is a group called Building America's Future, a conservative dark money network which has reportedly received funding from Musk, the world's richest man and a vigorous campaigner for Republican Trump's re-election bid.
The operation, shrouded in secrecy, illustrates what researchers describe as a complex web of deception to mislead or alienate Democratic voters in a polarizing election race that is one of the closest in US history.
"The initiative (Progress 2028) is really trying to undermine Harris by spreading divisive messages, misleading narratives under the guise of being an ally of Harris," said Anna Massoglia, from Open Secrets, a US nonprofit that tracks money in politics.
Using a mix of fact and fiction, the site distorts some of Harris's policy positions in a way that "Democratic voting blocs might not find favorable," Massoglia told AFP.
Meanwhile, Rumours, misleading allegations and outright lies about voting and fraud are flooding online spaces in unprecedented numbers in advance of the US election.
Hundreds of incidents involving purported voting irregularities are being collected and spread by individuals, as well as both independent and Republican-affiliated groups. A small number of posts are also coming from Democrats.
The whirlwind of claims spreading online poses a challenge to election officials who are having to debunk rumours and reassure voters, while preparing to administer election day on Tuesday.
