China uses spam networks to influence US Presidential Elections: Report

Washington [US], October 5 (ANI): China continues its dubious tactics to influence and manipulate the upcoming US presidential elections. US media have reported that suspicious networks linked to China have been found sharing conspiracy theories and anti-US propaganda as the election nears.

Networks connected to China are posting anti-Semitic conspiracy theories on social media, casting doubt on Washington's independence from alleged Jewish influence and questioning the integrity of the two US presidential candidates, Voice of America (VOA) reported, citing a joint investigation by VOA Mandarin and Taiwan's Doublethink Lab, a social media analytics firm.

The investigation uncovered more than 30 X posts, which claim that core American political institutions, such as the White House and US Congress, have pledged loyalty to or are being controlled by Jewish elites and the Israeli government.

One such post features a fake infographic of 18 US officials of Jewish descent, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The post questions: "Jews only make up 2 per cent of the US population, so why do they have so many representatives in important government departments?!"Another post features a cartoon of Vice President Kamala Harris and her opponent, Donald Trump, with their tongues tangled together, wrapped around an Israeli flagpole. The post claims, "no matter who of them comes to power, they will not change their stance on Judaism," the VOA report stated.

Most of these 32 posts analysed by VOA Mandarin and Doublethink Lab were posted during July and August, originating from three spam accounts, two of which were previously reported by VOA. The three networks previously reported by VOA consist of 140 accounts, which amplify content from three main accounts or "seeders."According to VOA, a spamouflage network is a state-sponsored operation disguised as the work of authentic social media users to spread pro-government narratives and disinformation while discrediting criticism from adversaries.

US officials have repeatedly cast China as a major threat to the integrity of the upcoming elections, but Beijing has consistently denied these allegations.

Tuvia Gering, a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council's Global China Hub, who closely follows antisemitic disinformation from China, said in the VOA Mandarin report, "Beijing isn't necessarily hostile toward Jews, but anti-Semitic conspiracy theories have historically been a handy tool to be used against Western countries."Antisemitic narratives about US politics are frequently posted by these spamouflage accounts, which have long thrived on the Chinese internet. An article referenced in the VOA report had received thousands of likes and reposts on the Chinese social media app WeChat, claiming that "Jewish capital" has taken control of the American political sphere "through infiltration, marriages, campaign funds and lobbying."The article highlighted in the VOA report emphasises the Jewish heritage of many current and former US officials and their families to promote a fabricated narrative of Jewish control over American politics. "The wife of the US president is Jewish, the son-in-law of the former US president is Jewish, the mother of the previous former US president was Jewish, the US Secretary of State is Jewish, the US Secretary of Treasury is Jewish, the Deputy Secretary of State, the Attorney General... are all Jewish," the article claims. (ANI)