Title: The Chinese threat on social networks: Facebook accounts pretend to be Americans and spread disinformation
Introduction :
In a statement Thursday, Meta said it had removed thousands of China-based Facebook accounts that posed as Americans and posted partisan messages on topics such as abortion and health care. This finding highlights the growing presence of foreign threats attempting to reach online audiences, particularly as the 2024 US presidential election approaches.
The network of fake Facebook accounts imitated, to the letter, the publications on social networks of American political figures, both Republican and Democratic, such as the governor of Florida and presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, or the former president of House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi.
China in question, but no official attribution announced:
Although Meta did not explicitly attribute the network of fake accounts to a specific Chinese entity, the discovery is part of a series of warnings issued by technology companies, demonstrating how Chinese propaganda and influence operations have targeted U.S. audiences more aggressively over the past year. U.S. officials are thus preparing for a tumultuous and divided presidential election in 2024, where much of the electorate could question the results and foreign powers such as China, Russia and Iran could attempt to influence voters and sow doubt about the electoral process.
A lack of supervision:
The release of this Meta report comes as US national security officials have suspended their work to flag possible foreign influence operations on social media platforms, following a legal challenge by Republican attorneys general . Meta executives confirmed that U.S. government agencies have not shared information with the platform regarding foreign election interference since July, when Republicans launched the lawsuit. The U.S. Supreme Court plans to review the case.
Unknown goals and a new era of disinformation:
According to Meta, it was unclear what the goals of the network of fake Chinese accounts were. However, the company claims to have removed it before it got engagement from real people on Meta’s apps.
This discovery highlights a notable change in the threat landscape compared to 2020, with an increase in Chinese online influence operations targeting audiences around the world. However, it should be noted that China has not traditionally used direct and divisive interference tactics, unlike Russia.
Conclusion :
The growing influence of countries such as China on social media poses a major threat to democracy and the integrity of elections. Fake news, disinformation and the manipulation of public opinion have become essential tools in the new era of politics. It is therefore essential that social media platforms and government authorities strengthen their monitoring and cooperation to counter these foreign influence operations and preserve the integrity of democratic processes.