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Russia and China target U.S. protests on social media
Both countries have flooded Twitter with hashtags and other content experts say is aimed at sowing dissent across the country.
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/06/01/russia-and-china-target-us-protests-on-social-media-294315
Both countries have flooded Twitter with hashtags and other content experts say is aimed at sowing dissent across the country.
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/06/01/russia-and-china-target-us-protests-on-social-media-294315
Since May 30, government officials, state-backed media outlets and other Twitter users linked to either Beijing or Moscow have increasingly piggybacked onto hashtags linked to George Floyd, the Minnesota man whose death in police custody last week set off days of nationwide protests, to push divisive messages and criticize Washington's handling of the unfolding crisis.
The push comes as disinformation experts warn that both countries are ramping up their online efforts ahead of the upcoming U.S. presidential election, and that China is growing increasingly bold in its use of Western social media platforms to promote its own view of the world. It also follows an ongoing feud between Donald Trump and social media companies, particularly Twitter, over their role in policing online content — a spat that will likely continue ahead of the vote.
“Russia is doing right now what Russia always does,” said Bret Schafer, a media and digital disinformation fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States' Alliance for Securing Democracy, a think tank in Washington. “But it’s the first time we’ve seen China fully engaged in a narrative battle that doesn’t directly affect Chinese interests."
Welcome to warfare in the 21st century. Remain wary of how you're being emotionally manipulated through your feed- not just by our own government and corporations, but increasingly by foreign powers sowing discord.The push comes as disinformation experts warn that both countries are ramping up their online efforts ahead of the upcoming U.S. presidential election, and that China is growing increasingly bold in its use of Western social media platforms to promote its own view of the world. It also follows an ongoing feud between Donald Trump and social media companies, particularly Twitter, over their role in policing online content — a spat that will likely continue ahead of the vote.
“Russia is doing right now what Russia always does,” said Bret Schafer, a media and digital disinformation fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States' Alliance for Securing Democracy, a think tank in Washington. “But it’s the first time we’ve seen China fully engaged in a narrative battle that doesn’t directly affect Chinese interests."
