Spamouflage Dragon: China floods social media with fake Trump supporters to influence US elections

In 2016, it was Russia who interfered with the US Presidential elections, by mainly hijacking social media. However, in 2024, it seems that China has taken a leaf out of Russia’s playbook, and turbocharged it.

A recent revelation by American researchers and government officials has uncovered a rather disturbing phenomenon: covert Chinese accounts are pretending to be American supporters of former President Donald J. Trump, and are actively spreading conspiracy theories, fueling domestic divisions, and launching attacks on President Biden in anticipation of the upcoming November election.

This hints at a potential change in the strategy deployed by Beijing to influence American politics. Just like Russia’s tactics before the 2016 election, China seems to be exploiting the partisan divide between Democrats and Republicans to undermine the Biden administration’s policies.

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Some of these Chinese accounts pretend to be enthusiastic Trump supporters, with one claiming to be “MAGA all the way!!” while sharing false information about Biden. Analysts have expressed surprise at the sophistication of this operation, noting that Chinese accounts have never before posed so convincingly as American Trump supporters.

The activity has been linked to a long-standing network of accounts associated with the Chinese government, known as Spamouflage or Spamouflage Dragon. These accounts previously posted pro-Beijing content in Mandarin recently, they have started posing as real Americans writing in American English.

In addition, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies identified 170 fake pages and accounts on Facebook pushing anti-American messages, including attacks on President Biden. These efforts have managed to attract genuine engagement and have become increasingly difficult for researchers to identify.

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While the overall political agenda behind these campaigns remains unclear, there are concerns that China may prefer a second Trump presidency over a second Biden term, despite occasional tensions between Trump and China.

China’s actions have raised alarms within the American government. In February, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence reported China’s expansion of influence campaigns aimed at undermining US leadership and democracy. There are fears that China could use increasingly sophisticated methods to influence the American election and silence critics of China.

As the November election approaches, online disinformation experts are growing increasingly anxious. Russia continues to employ subtle influence tactics in the United States, spreading propaganda amid its conflict with Ukraine. Efforts to combat false narratives and conspiracy theories are further complicated by waning moderation efforts on social media platforms and political pushback.

China’s previous attempts to advance its ideology in the West have struggled, but recent campaigns have sought to exploit existing divisions within American politics. These efforts have involved joining divisive debates on issues such as gay rights, immigration, and crime, mainly from a right-wing perspective.

Earlier in 2023, Meta announced it had made its “biggest single takedown” of accounts, all belonging to what it calls “Spamouflage Dragon.” Meta, which has tied the group to the Chinese Communist Party. Meta’s researchers found posts on 50 different social media platforms from the group. Furthermore, Google said it removed 160,000 accounts that were related to the group, which they have named “Dragonbridge.”

Despite efforts to combat them, fake accounts continue to resurface. China’s online targeting of dissidents has increased, with reports of stalking and physical threats, according to the FBI.

Earlier in 2023, US authorities revealed how they found out about the inner workings of a Chinese troll farm. The authorities also charged 34 officers of China’s national police for harassing US residents. Prosecutors alleged that a unit of China’s Ministry of Public Safety was in charge of the troll farm, whose task was to attack dissidents and disseminate divisive propaganda in the US.

In recent years, the group has evolved, adopting artificial intelligence-generated avatars to make their profiles seem more realistic and using deepfake news anchors to share bogus articles, according to Graphika.

In February, a Chinese-linked account shared a debunked video alleging Biden’s involvement in Ukraine. The post gained traction when shared by Alex Jones, a notorious conspiracy theorist. Despite attempts to appear authentic, the account’s profile photo was lifted from a Danish man’s blog.

These revelations underscore the urgent need for vigilance against foreign interference and misinformation campaigns. With democracy at stake, it is crucial to remain discerning in the face of online manipulation. As the election draws nearer, authorities and social media platforms must intensify efforts to identify and counteract such deceptive practices.