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Spamouflage Dragon: China inundates social platforms with counterfeit Trump followers to sway US polls
Numerous troll factories in China are fabricating false profiles on social networks, masquerading as backers of Donald Trump. These profiles then disseminate various unfounded stories, propaganda, and conspiracy theories about Joe Biden, Democrats and even Republicans, to denigrate them.
In 2016, Russia meddled in the US Presidential elections, predominantly through manipulating social media. Yet, in 2024, it appears that China has drawn inspiration from Russia's tactics, taking them to a whole new level.
Recent disclosures from U.S. researchers and government authorities have revealed a troubling trend: concealed Chinese profiles are masquerading as American backers of ex-President Donald J. Trump. These accounts are vigorously disseminating conspiracy theories, inciting internal discord, and initiating assaults on President Biden ahead of the forthcoming November election.
This suggests a possible shift in the tactics used by Beijing to sway American politics. Similar to Russia's methods prior to the 2016 election, China appears to be taking advantage of the political rift between Democrats and Republicans to weaken the policies of the Biden administration.
Several of these Chinese profiles pose as fervent Trump advocates, with one purporting to be totally pro-MAGA, while disseminating inaccurate details about Biden. Experts have voiced astonishment at the complexity of this scheme, pointing out that Chinese profiles have never previously masqueraded as American Trump supporters so believably.
The actions are connected to a well-established network of accounts tied to the Chinese government, referred to as Spamouflage or Spamouflage Dragon. Lately, these accounts, which used to share pro-Beijing material in Mandarin, have begun impersonating genuine Americans and producing content in American English.
Furthermore, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies pinpointed 170 counterfeit pages and accounts on Facebook promoting anti-American sentiments, which include criticism against President Biden. These initiatives have succeeded in gaining authentic interaction and have posed an increasing challenge for analysts to detect.
Though the exact political motives driving these campaigns are yet to be fully understood, there is speculation that China might favor a second Trump term over a second Biden term, notwithstanding the occasional friction between Trump and China.
The American government is increasingly concerned about China's activities. In February, a report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence revealed that China is escalating its efforts to compromise US leadership and democratic systems. Concerns are growing that China might employ progressively advanced strategies to manipulate the US elections and suppress those who criticize China.
As the upcoming November election draws nearer, experts in online falsehoods are becoming more and more worried. Russia persists in using crafty manipulation strategies in the US, disseminating propaganda in the midst of its disagreement with Ukraine. The challenge of tackling fake narratives and conspiracy theories is made even more difficult by the declining regulation on social media sites and political resistance.
While China's past endeavors to promote its belief system in the Western world have faced challenges, their latest strategies aim to take advantage of the existing rifts in American politics. China has been participating in polarizing discussions on topics like LGBT rights, immigration, and crime, primarily from a conservative viewpoint.
In 2023, Meta declared it had conducted its most substantial removal of accounts to date, all associated with a group it refers to as "Spamouflage Dragon." Meta has linked this group to the Chinese Communist Party. The company's investigators discovered posts from this group on 50 separate social media platforms. Meanwhile, Google reported that it deleted 160,000 accounts connected to the same group, which they have dubbed "Dragonbridge."
Even with continuous attempts to fight against them, fraudulent profiles persistently reappear. The online harassment of critics by China has intensified, including instances of surveillance and actual harm, as reported by the FBI.
In 2023, US officials disclosed their discovery of the operations of a Chinese troll factory. They also filed charges against 34 members of China's national law enforcement for intimidation of US inhabitants. The prosecutors claimed that a division of China's Public Safety Ministry was overseeing the troll factory, with responsibilities including targeting critics and spreading discordant propaganda in the US.
Lately, the team has progressed, utilizing avatars created by artificial intelligence to give their profiles a more authentic look and employing deepfake news presenters to distribute fake news articles, as reported by Graphika.
In February, an account associated with China circulated a discredited video claiming Biden had connections in Ukraine. The post became popular when Alex Jones, a well-known purveyor of conspiracy theories, shared it. Even though the account tried to seem genuine, its profile picture was actually taken from a blog owned by a man from Denmark.
These disclosures highlight the immediate necessity for alertness against overseas meddling and spreading of false information. Given that our democratic system is under threat, it's essential to stay cautious when dealing with possible online exploitation. As the voting period approaches, those in power and social media networks need to step up their initiatives to spot and combat these misleading tactics.
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