Fulton County voters cast their ballots during the Georgia primary on Election Day at Morningside Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., May 21, 2024. REUTERS/Alyssa Pointer/File Photo
Chinese Influence Operation Targets U.S. Presidential Election
Overview
A Chinese social media influence operation has been identified as impersonating U.S. voters and spreading divisive political content in the lead-up to the U.S. presidential election scheduled for November 5. This campaign, uncovered by intelligence firm Graphika, is part of a larger, state-linked initiative known as “Spamouflage” or “Dragonbridge.” This operation has been active since at least 2017 and has significantly intensified its activities as the election approaches.
Operation Details
The “Spamouflage” campaign employs a mixture of spam and targeted propaganda across the internet. According to experts, the operation has utilized thousands of accounts across more than 50 websites, forums, and social media platforms. The campaign’s objective appears to be less about supporting any particular political party or candidate and more about deepening existing societal divisions and eroding trust in the American political system.
Jack Stubbs, who oversees Graphika’s research team, emphasized that this operation has become more aggressive and sophisticated in its attempts to infiltrate U.S. political discussions. The operation has increasingly focused on exploiting “hyper-sensitive rifts in society” by engaging in advanced deceptive tactics.
Examples of Disinformation
One of the tactics used by the operation involved impersonating American anti-war activists. Multiple accounts on the social media platform X were used to create memes that labeled former President Donald Trump a “fraud” and depicted him in an orange prison uniform, while President Joe Biden was referred to as a “coward.” Other accounts questioned the current state of America in poorly constructed English, further highlighting the foreign origins of the disinformation.
Response and Impact
Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington, denied any intentions by China to interfere in the U.S. election, urging the U.S. not to politicize China in the electoral context. However, previous investigations by Facebook linked the Spamouflage campaign to Chinese law enforcement, labeling it as “the largest known cross-platform covert influence operation in the world.”
The operation’s messaging does not favor any particular side of the political spectrum. Instead, it amplifies existing criticisms and frustrations with American society and governance. Initially, Spamouflage struggled to engage with genuine American users, but this changed in mid-2023 when the group began targeting supporters of former President Trump more effectively.
Monitoring and Enforcement
Graphika identified 15 Spamouflage accounts on X and one on TikTok, all of which falsely claimed to be U.S. citizens or media outlets. Some accounts associated with this operation on platforms like YouTube and Instagram were suspended by the time Graphika completed its report.
A TikTok account named “Harlan Report” emerged as one of the operation’s most successful assets, with a video mocking President Biden garnering 1.5 million views before the account was permanently banned for violating community guidelines. Similarly, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, reported that it had removed Spamouflage-related activity from its platforms as part of ongoing enforcement actions, though the operation failed to gain significant traction with authentic users.
U.S. Government Response
The U.S. government is actively investigating foreign interference efforts in the election. In July, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a report on election interference, noting that while China is likely approaching the current U.S. presidential election cautiously, efforts to influence the broader U.S. public are being tracked.
COMMENTS