If you’ve ever logged on to TikTok, X, or another social media platform, you may have come across one of the world’s largest online influence operations without even realizing it.
Dubbed “spamouflage” for its attempts to covertly sandwich propaganda in between otherwise normal, everyday content, this Chinese-linked operation uses fake social media accounts to promote pro-China narratives while disparaging the West.
Social media analytics firm Graphika has been tracking spamouflage since 2019. In their new report, Graphika detailed how the operation has become more aggressive in its efforts to infiltrate and sway U.S. political conversations ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
Graphika discovered 15 spamouflage accounts on X and one on TikTok, all claiming to be U.S. voters or U.S.-focused advocates frustrated with American politics and the West. They also found one cross-platform persona operating as a fake U.S. news outlet. The accounts shared videos, memes and other content criticizing candidates, doubting the U.S. electoral process, and commenting on divisive issues such as gun control, racial inequality and the Israel-Hamas conflict.
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Graphika’s chief intelligence officer, Jack Stubbs, says China’s goal isn't to influence the outcome of the election — but to promote a certain negative narrative, often about the U.S.
“We think it's less about individual parts or personal politics, and more about influencing the way that people talk about U.S. politics in general, and seeking to portray the United States as a kind of failing global power with this weak set of political leaders in a weakening system of governance,” said Stubbs.
The political trashing is bipartisan. The report shows that the accounts seeded and amplified content denigrating Republican and Democratic political candidates alike.
The accounts made several attempts to appear authentic, but despite these efforts, Stubbs said the accounts still bore the tell-tale signs of spamouflage, such as coordinated posting with other known fake accounts and using stock images as profile pictures.
When Scripps News asked how Graphika knew China was behind the operation, Stubbs said its assessment is based on tracking the network's online activity throughout the years.
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“There's been incidents where the people operating these accounts have posted texts that contained what appeared to be internal operating instructions, possibly by mistake,” Stubbs said. “Also, it's based on assessments that have been shared by companies such as Meta and other industry partners who, according to the Meta statement, attributed this operation to individuals associated with Chinese law enforcement.”
While most of the accounts listed in the report had very little reach online, one did amass a whopping 1.5 million views on TikTok.
“I think we're all susceptible to these types of influence campaigns,” Stubbs said. “We all know we should do this better. But the truth is, not many people really kind of stop and pause and take the time to interrogate the sources of information that they find on the internet."
