Twitter (NYSE:TWTR) has taken down thousands of accounts linked to China that were part of a “manipulative and coordinated” campaign to spread disinformation around topics including the Hong Kong protests and the coronavirus.
The social media site said that 23,750 accounts that were spreading "geopolitical narratives favorable to the Communist Party of China (CCP)" were removed. Another 150,000 accounts designed to boost that content were also taken down.
Those accounts were tweeting predominantly in Chinese languages and were pushing "deceptive narratives about the political dynamics in Hong Kong," Twitter said.
The state-backed Twitter campaign highlights a shift in tactics from Beijing that have become more covert and akin to Russia’s disinformation tactics online, according to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) think tank, which analyzed the recently taken-down accounts.
Twitter’s latest revelation appears to go against previous denials from China that it engaged in a disinformation spreading campaign on social media.
Demonstrations in Hong Kong have been going on for more than a year, against the proposed national security law from Beijing and the growing influence of the Chinese central government on the semi-autonomous city which enjoys certain freedoms that mainland Chinese are not given. Protesters have clashed with police, who sometimes used methods such as tear gas to disperse the crowds.
The accounts that Twitter took down also focused on China’s response to COVID-19.
Shares gained 94 cents, or 2.9%, at the open Friday, to $33.97.
Tech Insider
