#Newspaper

Coronavirus: Inside the pro-China network targeting the US, Hong Kong and an exiled tycoon

//A BBC investigation has found that hundreds of fake or hijacked social media accounts have been pushing pro-Chinese government messages about the pandemic on Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube.

//The network, consisting of more than 1,200 accounts, displays features similar to a state-backed information operation originating in China that was removed from social media platforms last year. The BBC found evidence that at least some of the pages and accounts originally belonged to users from Bangladesh before they were hijacked or sold.

//These accounts have been attacking whoever’s critical of China’s handling of the outbreak while praising Beijing’s response. They seem to have a relatively low impact however with follower counts that were nowhere near levels that would be considered highly influential.

//A few among those accounts have a long history and have posted criticism of anti-Chinese government protests in Hong Kong last summer.

//Experts say the purpose of networks like this is to create the impression that a lot of social media users support a particular narrative or group, but the operation of this particular network seems too crude to convince most.

Full Article: BBC, (28-May)
https://bbc.in/2YROqLY

Further reading:
Behind China’s Twitter Campaign, a Murky Supporting Chorus
https://publielectoral.lat/s/guardiansofhongkong/22271

#ccppropaganda #fakeaccounts #socialmedia #coronavirus