Chinese Bots on Social Media Encouraged Asian Americans to Protest, Researchers Find - Daily Signal

Thousands of fake pro-China accounts used dozens of social media platforms to mobilize Asian American protesters in the United States, according to a report by U.S. cybersecurity researchers.

A coordinated network of pro-China bot accounts spanning 30 social media platforms and over 40 additional websites and forums have made posts in at least seven different languages attempting to influence American politics, according to a report published Wednesday by cybersecurity firm Mandiant Threat Intelligence, a subsidiary of FireEye.

The network promoted certain pro-China political messages, such as the claim echoed by the Chinese government that COVID-19 originated in Fort Detrick, Maryland, and links to studies showing the virus was present in the U.S. in December 2019.

“These accounts have posted similar, and in many cases identical messaging and engaged in the coordinated sharing, commenting on, and liking of text, image, and video content,” Mandiant researchers Ryan Serabian and Lee Foster wrote in the report.

The bots also attempted to coax Asian Americans into engaging in protests against Guo Wengui, an exiled Chinese billionaire and close friend of former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, as well as Chinese virologist Dr. Li-Meng Yan, who has said COVID-19 originated in a Chinese lab.

The network shared doctored images of Asian American protesters holding up signs with Yan’s face on them, and claimed Guo’s “supporters” were assaulting Asian Americans.

“The...



Read Full Story: https://www.dailysignal.com/2021/09/09/chinese-bots-on-social-media-encouraged-asian-americans-to-protest-researchers-find/

Your content is great. However, if any of the content contained herein violates any rights of yours, including those of copyright, please contact us immediately by e-mail at media[@]kissrpr.com.



Tags: