Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Spamouflage: China's Massive Online Disinformation Campaign Targets Americans
By admin
Published 1 year ago on
November 14, 2023

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The Chinese government is reportedly running the world’s largest online disinformation operation, using it to harass and intimidate US citizens, politicians, and businesses, according to a CNN review of court documents and public disclosures by social media companies.

The operation, known as “Spamouflage” or “Dragonbridge,” uses hundreds of thousands of accounts across all major social media platforms to spread disinformation and harass individuals critical of the Chinese Communist Party. The operation has been linked to Chinese police by federal prosecutors and Meta, Facebook’s parent company.

Despite efforts by tech companies to shut down these accounts, new ones continue to emerge, outpacing the efforts to control them.

China’s Quest for Global Influence

The disinformation campaign is part of a broader multi-billion-dollar effort by the Chinese government to shape global information and silence critics of Beijing. The U.S. State Department has stated that this effort has expanded under President Xi Jinping. The victims of this campaign face a barrage of social media posts that aim to instill fear and paranoia. The posts often contain deeply personal and vile attacks, calling the victims traitors and using racist and homophobic slurs.

The operation has been tracked by private researchers for more than four years, but only recently have federal prosecutors and Meta publicly concluded that it has ties to Chinese police.

In the second quarter of 2023 alone, Meta took down nearly 8,000 accounts attributed to this group. Google, which owns YouTube, has shut down more than 100,000 associated accounts in recent years, while X, formerly known as Twitter, has blocked hundreds of thousands of China “state-backed” or “state-linked” accounts.

Despite these efforts, experts warn that the Chinese government will continue to use these tactics to manipulate online discussions and undermine the U.S. and democratic values. The operation is not confined to certain platforms or chatrooms but is expanding across the board. The disinformation campaign is evolving in tactics and themes, and as the U.S. gets closer to the election year, the need to raise defenses and inform people about it becomes more critical.

Read more at CNN.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Bakersfield to Host Sanders and AOC in ‘Fighting Oligarchy’ Event

DON'T MISS

Jaguar and Land Rover Maker Pauses Shipments to US as It Develops Post-Tariff Plans

DON'T MISS

China Hit Brakes on TikTok Deal After Trump Announced Wide-Ranging Tariffs

DON'T MISS

Shohei Ohtani Throws Second Bullpen Since Resuming Mound Ramp Up

DON'T MISS

Visalia Traffic Stop Nets $30K in Xanax, Marijuana

DON'T MISS

Fresno Joins Global Protest Against Donald Trump and Elon Musk

DON'T MISS

2 US Border Inspectors Charged With Taking Bribes to Wave in People Without Documents

DON'T MISS

The Latest: Trump’s Tariffs Unleash Trade War and Calls for Negotiations

DON'T MISS

Phone Footage Appears to Contradict Israel’s Account in Troops’ Killing of 15 Palestinian Medics

DON'T MISS

Trump and Netanyahu to Discuss Gaza Crisis and Tariffs at Upcoming Meeting

UP NEXT

Jaguar and Land Rover Maker Pauses Shipments to US as It Develops Post-Tariff Plans

UP NEXT

China Hit Brakes on TikTok Deal After Trump Announced Wide-Ranging Tariffs

UP NEXT

Shohei Ohtani Throws Second Bullpen Since Resuming Mound Ramp Up

UP NEXT

Visalia Traffic Stop Nets $30K in Xanax, Marijuana

UP NEXT

Fresno Joins Global Protest Against Donald Trump and Elon Musk

UP NEXT

2 US Border Inspectors Charged With Taking Bribes to Wave in People Without Documents

UP NEXT

The Latest: Trump’s Tariffs Unleash Trade War and Calls for Negotiations

UP NEXT

Phone Footage Appears to Contradict Israel’s Account in Troops’ Killing of 15 Palestinian Medics

UP NEXT

Trump and Netanyahu to Discuss Gaza Crisis and Tariffs at Upcoming Meeting

UP NEXT

Trump Doubles Down That Tariffs Will Pay Off for Americans

Shohei Ohtani Throws Second Bullpen Since Resuming Mound Ramp Up

4 hours ago

Visalia Traffic Stop Nets $30K in Xanax, Marijuana

4 hours ago

Fresno Joins Global Protest Against Donald Trump and Elon Musk

5 hours ago

2 US Border Inspectors Charged With Taking Bribes to Wave in People Without Documents

6 hours ago

The Latest: Trump’s Tariffs Unleash Trade War and Calls for Negotiations

7 hours ago

Phone Footage Appears to Contradict Israel’s Account in Troops’ Killing of 15 Palestinian Medics

8 hours ago

Trump and Netanyahu to Discuss Gaza Crisis and Tariffs at Upcoming Meeting

8 hours ago

Trump Doubles Down That Tariffs Will Pay Off for Americans

8 hours ago

Senate GOP Approves Trump’s Tax Breaks and Spending Cuts After Late-Night Session

9 hours ago

How Schools Can Help Students Facing Homelessness Get to Class

9 hours ago

Bakersfield to Host Sanders and AOC in ‘Fighting Oligarchy’ Event

Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are set to address supporters in Bakersfield, California, on Tuesday, Apr...

3 hours ago

3 hours ago

Bakersfield to Host Sanders and AOC in ‘Fighting Oligarchy’ Event

3 hours ago

Jaguar and Land Rover Maker Pauses Shipments to US as It Develops Post-Tariff Plans

3 hours ago

China Hit Brakes on TikTok Deal After Trump Announced Wide-Ranging Tariffs

4 hours ago

Shohei Ohtani Throws Second Bullpen Since Resuming Mound Ramp Up

A Visalia traffic stop on Friday, April 4, 2025, for tinted windows led to the arrest of a 22-year-old man after police found $30,000 worth of Xanax pills and a pound of marijuana in his vehicle. (Visalia PD)
4 hours ago

Visalia Traffic Stop Nets $30K in Xanax, Marijuana

5 hours ago

Fresno Joins Global Protest Against Donald Trump and Elon Musk

6 hours ago

2 US Border Inspectors Charged With Taking Bribes to Wave in People Without Documents

7 hours ago

The Latest: Trump’s Tariffs Unleash Trade War and Calls for Negotiations

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend