China-linked ‘Spamouflage’ network mimics Americans online to sway US political debate
China-linked ‘Spamouflage’ network mimics Americans online to sway US political debate
As voters prepare to cast their ballots in the November election, U.S. adversaries like China are making their own plans.
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/28275057
When he first emerged on social media, the user known as Harlan claimed to be a New Yorker and an Army veteran who supported Donald Trump for president. Harlan said he was 29, and his profile picture showed a smiling, handsome young man.
A few months later, Harlan underwent a transformation. Now, he claimed to be 31 and from Florida.
New research into Chinese disinformation networks targeting American voters shows Harlan’s claims were as fictitious as his profile picture, which analysts think was created using artificial intelligence.
The account was traced back to Spamouflage, a Chinese disinformation group, by analysts at Graphika, a New York-based firm that tracks online networks. Known to online researchers for several years, Spamouflage earned its moniker through its habit of spreading large amounts of seemingly unrelated content alongside disinformation.
