Meta exposes secret Chinese ‘spamouflage’ campaign to undermine US.

Meta Purges Thousands of ⁢Facebook Accounts Linked to Chinese Spam Operation

Meta, ⁢the⁣ social media giant, has recently taken action against a widespread Chinese spam operation called “Spamouflage.” In an effort to promote China and criticize⁣ the West, more than 7,700 Facebook accounts and 15 Instagram accounts were removed.

A Covert Influence ⁤Operation

According to Meta Global Threat Intelligence Lead Ben Nimmo, this operation is believed ⁣to be the largest and most⁢ prolific ⁤covert influence campaign in the world today. The individuals associated with Chinese law enforcement were found to be connected to Spamouflage.

Targeting Multiple Audiences

Although the operation originated in China, its targets included Taiwan, the United States, Australia, Britain, Japan, and other Chinese-speaking audiences. The pages associated ⁤with​ the group ⁢were taken down due to violating Meta’s rules on coordinated deceptive behavior.

A Network of Deception

Despite its extensive reach, the Spamouflage network received minimal‌ attention, with ​only a few comments challenging its claims. It was discovered that the network had acquired approximately 560,000 accounts for its Facebook pages,​ but Meta suspects that these accounts were primarily‍ fake and purchased from spam operators in Vietnam and Bangladesh.

Learning from Each Other

Interestingly, some of the tactics used by‍ the Spamouflage network resembled those of a Russian online deception network exposed in 2019. This suggests that countries like China and Russia‍ may be learning from each other in their covert influence‍ operations.

Meta also highlighted its analysis of the Russian influence campaign known as Doppelganger, which aimed to mimic news ‌sources’ websites. The goal of Doppelganger was to spread false information and undermine public support for Ukraine.

Overall, Meta’s actions against the Spamouflage operation demonstrate its commitment to combating⁣ deceptive behavior and maintaining ‍the integrity of​ its platforms.

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