Meta has recently taken action against a network of fraudulent accounts from China, aiming to spread deceptive information about US politics and US-China relations. These accounts, numbering over 4,700, impersonated Americans and covered contentious topics such as cultural issues, abortion, and aid to Ukraine.
According to Meta’s quarterly threat report, China has become the third-largest source of such deceptive networks, trailing behind Russia and Iran. The report shows that the China-based network employed copied profile pictures and names from users globally, engaging in coordinated activities such as sharing and liking each other’s posts. Some content appeared to be directly lifted from X.
Meta shared instances where posts were copied verbatim from politicians of which, the company did not directly link the accounts to Chinese officials but did observe a rise in such networks from China which could cause a big problem. The network exhibited no consistent ideology, with examples revealing accounts reposting content from Democratic and Republican politicians.
Despite the network being halted before gaining traction among real users, Meta emphasized the ongoing threat of such networks attempting to influence people online ahead of the 2024 US elections. The company also identified two smaller networks, one from China focusing on India and Tibet, and another from Russia discussing the invasion of Ukraine and promoting Telegram channels.
The real intent behind these fraudulent acts is still unknown. Whether is to amplify partisan tensions, build audiences among supporters of these politicians, or simply create accounts to share fake content, no one knows for sure.