As the 2024 U.S. election draws closer, fake news websites designed to appear legitimate are flourishing. The prevalence of these sites has led to a rise in what those in the news business call pink-slime journalism. While not solely focused on politics, these publications, found on both sides of the political aisle, will likely continue to play a looming role in the election and beyond. 

What is it?
Named after a meat byproduct, pink-slime journalism describes "outlets that publish poor-quality reports that appear to be local news," said the Poynter Institute. The rise of this can be tied to the demise of local newspapers in recent years. Many low-profile local publications, especially in small towns, have "either gone out of business or are struggling to survive," and pink-slime websites have cropped up in their place, most of them "produced via automation and templates."

How many of these websites are there?
There are at least 1,265 identifiable sites that claim to be independent news outlets but are really pink-slime publications, according to a recent report from the misinformation watchdog group NewsGuard. In comparison, only 1,213 daily local newspapers are left in the U.S., according to Northwestern University's Local News Initiative. 

Who's behind them?
Within the identified pink-slime websites in NewsGuard's report, there are "eight primary organizations that have been identified as supporting most of the sites," and "four lean conservative and four lean progressive," said Axios. The majority were created at the behest of the conservative network Metric Media. Other organizations identified by Axios are Courier Newsroom and States Newsroom, both of which reportedly receive donations from left-wing backers, though these groups are "much more explicit about their funding and motives," said Axios.

While the majority of pink slime is found online, print journalism is not entirely immune; physical newspapers can be used to target voters too. This past April, the Illinois State Board of Elections asked the state's attorney general to investigate a pink-slime publication used by Metric Media in 2022. The so-called DuPage Policy Journal was disseminated across northern Illinois and designed to look like a real newspaper, but it was actually part of a far-right GOP campaign, the Chicago Tribune reported.  

Whether you know it or not, odds are good that you have at some point in your life worked with Kaspersky Lab software. Founded in the late 1990s, the Moscow tech company has spent decades cementing its reputation as a global powerhouse in antiviral and cybersecurity products.

Despite its position as an elite cybersecurity business, Kaspersky has long been dogged by allegations of Russian government influence, leading to a 2017 U.S. government ban on using the company's software on federal computers. Those tensions reached a crescendo last week when Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo announced plans to "prohibit Kaspersky … from providing cybersecurity and antivirus software anywhere in the United States." 

'Undue and unacceptable risks'
Kaspersky's software gives it "essentially administrator access to the devices on which it operates," said Commerce Department's Liz Cannon to NPR, and it can "inject malware, or it can choose to withhold critical updates." Plus, Kaspersky is "subject to the direction and control of the Russian government," elevating the issue to the "level of a real national security threat."

The Treasury Department has also sanctioned a dozen senior leaders within the company but not Kaspersky itself or "its parent or subsidiary companies or its CEO." The one-two punch comes as the Biden administration tries to "stamp out any risks of Russian cyberattacks" and "keep squeezing Moscow as its war effort in Ukraine has regained momentum and the United States has run low on sanctions it can impose on Russia," Reuters said. 

Kaspersky has denied any Russian influence and alleged that the government's ban is "based on the present geopolitical climate and theoretical concerns" rather than the "integrity of Kaspersky's products and services." 

'Cybersecurity and associated risks'
The company will be allowed to proceed with "certain operations" in the U.S. until Sept. 29, the Biden administration said. In the meantime, it can continue "providing antivirus signature updates and codebase updates" for users and clients as they "find suitable alternatives."

While the government's final determination to institute the ban does not list any specific instances of Russian governmental exploitation of Kaspersky products, "we certainly believe that it is more than just a theoretical threat," said one Commerce Department official to CNN.