Fake social media accounts suspected of being linked to the Chinese government have been used in an attempt to get Asian-Americans to attend political protests, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing cyber intelligence researchers at Mandiant and Google
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th September, 2021) Fake social media accounts suspected of being linked to the Chinese government have been used in an attempt to get Asian-Americans to attend political protests, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing cyber intelligence researchers at Mandiant and Google.
The research published on Wednesday said that thousands of fake accounts across social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter were used to urge Asian-Americans to participate in protests against racial injustice.
The fake accounts network appears to have been largely unsuccessful in their efforts, according to the researchers. However, the researchers also said the network mimics alleged attempts by Russia to sow discord during the 2016 US election using fake social media bots.
While the researchers from Mandiant and Google did not directly assign responsibility to the Chinese government, they said that it is almost certainly government-sponsored work that aligns with China's strategic interests.
The network was also said to have pushed narratives about the COVID-19 virus originating in the United States and positive accounts of China's efforts to handle the pandemic as well as vaccine disinformation.
