‘Never Seen Before’: Meta Dismantles China-Based Disinformation Network

2023-05-04 16:56:21

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced on Wednesday that it had taken down a major China-based disinformation network that was spreading content about sensitive political issues in Europe and the United States. “These latest networks have experimented with a range of tactics that we have never seen before in China-based operations,” Meta points out.

Meta claims to have deleted more than 100 Facebook pages, profiles and Instagram accounts linked to this disinformation network, which is also present on other platforms such as YouTube, Telegram and Twitter, accusing them of violating its policies. Another 50 accounts linked to another network based in China were also deleted, the American company said in its quarterly report on adverse threats.

“Recent behaviors include creating a front media company in the West, hiring freelance writers around the world, offering to recruit protesters, and co-opting an NGO in Africa,” he added. ‘business.

Content still online

Although Meta has deleted some accounts, much of the content still remains online, especially on the social network Twitter. Messages broadcast range from content focused on Europe, to issues dividing the United States, including police brutality, crime and LGBT+ rights, to posts that defend Beijing’s position on its policies in the western region of Xinjiang, where activists accuse authorities of detaining more than a million Uyghurs and other Muslims in forced re-education camps.

Twitter and Facebook are officially blocked in mainland China, users must resort to banned VPNs to use their websites and apps.

Russia has long been accused of operating “troll farms” to try to sway public opinion in the West, with China not seen as very advanced in this area. But Meta said the latest networks discovered on its platforms indicated that China-based operations were becoming increasingly sophisticated.

Last month, US authorities also said they had indicted a group of agents from China’s Ministry of Public Security, claiming they had operated a network of social media accounts spreading pro-Beijing messages.