China is allegedly using what could be the world's largest online disinformation operation just to harass Americans. This was revealed by a new review conducted by CNN.
Based on the American news channel's findings, the Chinese government was the one that established the massive disinformation system.
Involved experts said that this online disinformation scheme is a part of China's intimidation campaign against the United States and its people.
China Allegedly Harasses Americans Using the World's Largest Disinformation Scheme
CNN US said that it reviewed court documents, as well as public disclosures by social media firms. All these documents revealed that China is harassing American citizens, businesses, and politicians using its disinformation campaign.
The new review claimed that China is harassing them in a very violent manner. The U.S. State Department also discussed this alarming revelation, saying that the disinformation tactic is part of a broader multi-billion-dollar effort to influence the world's information environment.
It American executive department added that the Chinese government is also using this online disinformation operation to silence its critics. Involved investigators further stated that the harassment against Americans is China's effort to drive them into a state of constant paranoia and fear.
The review revealed that victims usually don't know where to ask for assistance. Although some of them have already spoken to law enforcement, such as the FBI, the needed safety measures are still insufficient.
Meanwhile, Facebook and other social media websites are also making drastic efforts to prevent thousands of fake accounts targeting innocent users. However, their efforts are being overwhelmed by the slew of new accounts being created each day.
This is not the first time that China has been accused of using disinformation to pursue its interests.
"As the [People's Republic of China] has grown more confident in its power, it appears to have calculated that it can more aggressively pursue its interests via information manipulation," said the U.S. State Department's Engagement Center via CBS News.
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About China's 'Spamouflage'
China's massive disinformation campaign is known as "Spamouflage" or "Dragonbridge." Experts describe it as a network with hundreds of thousands of accounts that are dispersed across major social media platforms.
They claim that these Chinese accounts are not only harassing Americans who are criticizing the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). China is also allegedly using them to discredit U.S. politicians and disparage American businesses.
This Chinese disinformation network was discovered more than four years ago. However, it is only now that Meta and other social media giants confirmed that the campaign is really linked to China.
