Meta Shuts Down Thousands of Fake Accounts Allegedly Linked to China

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Facts

  • Meta on Thursday announced that it removed nearly 4.8K fake Facebook accounts allegedly linked to China that it alleges sought to deepen partisan discord by impersonating Americans and posting about controversial issues, such as abortion and healthcare.1
  • According to Meta, the accounts, which it said posed as authentic Americans, didn't post misinformation but, instead, copied and pasted posts from prominent politicians such as Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).2
  • The alleged network didn't appear to support any political side but was said to be likely attempting to provoke political polarization in the US. According to a Meta spokesperson, the accounts didn't gain much traction.3
  • Between its platforms — Facebook, Instagram, and Threads — Meta claims to have taken down five Chinese networks this year. Between 2017 and November 2020, the company reported to have only removed two Chinese networks that allegedly focused on the Asia-Pacific region rather than American politics.4
  • Various media outlets paid great attention to allegations that Russia attempted to influence the 2016 election, and Russia has been seen as the leading threat of foreign election interference through cyber campaigns. However, China and Iran are becoming increasing adversaries.5
  • Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC, said that he was unaware of any social media networks aimed at influencing US politics, and said that “Some people and institutions have launched one ‘rumor campaign’ after another against China on social media platforms and spread a tremendous amount of disinformation about China.”4

Sources: 1Yahoo Finance, 2Forbes, 3Fortune, 4NBC and 5CNN.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by NPR Online News. After faith in US Democracy was shaken by Russia’s aggressive election interference campaign in 2016, social media companies such as Meta must continue to do their due diligence to snuff out these foreign networks. The rise of social media has come with a mass proliferation of misinformation from both domestic and foreign actors, and while Russia remains the biggest threat, China is emerging, which means there must be a greater initiative to combat this cyber assault.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Reuters. The US is always quick to point its fingers at others without acknowledging its own shortcomings. While there may very well be malicious foreign actors, there are also undoubtedly domestic ones. Before spreading rumors and panic about foreign election interference, Washington must get its own house in order by eliminating the very real homegrown threats that risk jeopardizing its democracy.