F-22Raptor
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Twitter has suspended tens of thousands of accounts that it said were part of a “manipulative” disinformation campaign run by the Chinese government, using Russian-style tactics to spread pro-Beijing messaging around the Hong Kong protests and coronavirus.
The social-media platform said in a statement on Thursday that it had culled 23,750 accounts that were part of a co-ordinated influence campaign run by the People’s Republic of China, plus 150,000 “amplifier” accounts that were designed to further boost that content.
Usually known for propaganda campaigns involving official state-backed media outlets, China’s use of a “covert” operation involving fake accounts signals a shift towards disinformation strategies more commonly associated with Russia and Iran.
“This entire network was involved in a range of manipulative and co-ordinated activities,” Twitter said. “They were tweeting predominantly in Chinese languages and spreading geopolitical narratives favorable to the Communist Party of China, while continuing to push deceptive narratives about the political dynamics in Hong Kong.”
The takedown, one of the biggest carried out by Twitter to date, comes as US and European governments have accused China publicly of spreading disinformation about coronavirus to capitalise on the health emergency for its own strategic purposes — claims that Beijing has rebuffed.
https://www.ft.com/content/deeb3704-5924-44e3-9363-dd28ce7f67f1
The social-media platform said in a statement on Thursday that it had culled 23,750 accounts that were part of a co-ordinated influence campaign run by the People’s Republic of China, plus 150,000 “amplifier” accounts that were designed to further boost that content.
Usually known for propaganda campaigns involving official state-backed media outlets, China’s use of a “covert” operation involving fake accounts signals a shift towards disinformation strategies more commonly associated with Russia and Iran.
“This entire network was involved in a range of manipulative and co-ordinated activities,” Twitter said. “They were tweeting predominantly in Chinese languages and spreading geopolitical narratives favorable to the Communist Party of China, while continuing to push deceptive narratives about the political dynamics in Hong Kong.”
The takedown, one of the biggest carried out by Twitter to date, comes as US and European governments have accused China publicly of spreading disinformation about coronavirus to capitalise on the health emergency for its own strategic purposes — claims that Beijing has rebuffed.
https://www.ft.com/content/deeb3704-5924-44e3-9363-dd28ce7f67f1