China stirring U.S. voter division with fake social media, report says

Intelligence company Graphika released a report Tuesday showing increased efforts by Chinese state-linked social media accounts to deceptively spread divisive narratives ahead of the 2024 election. Graphika identified over a dozen of what it characterized as spamouflage accounts—accounts impersonating U.S. voters or activists frustrated by American politics. The group also identified a spamouflage account acting as a fake U.S.-focused media outlet. The fake China-linked accounts will likely expand tactics with AI tools to make fake content and impersonate influencers, the report said.

What side are the Chinese taking? The Chinese accounts pushed content slamming both Democratic and Republican candidates to spread divisive narratives on hot-button issues, including gun control, racial inequality, and the war in Gaza, the report said. Spamouflage accounts aim to generally grow dissension in America and make citizens doubt the legitimacy of elections, ultimately portraying America as a declining world power, according to Graphika. Fake accounts will likely continue leveraging social divisions throughout the 2024 presidential election cycle, the report added.

How influential have these fake accounts been? The accounts mostly failed to make traction with legitimate online communities discussing the election, Graphika said. However, the report noted an exception in which a fake TikTok account posted a video in July that has received about 1.5 million views to date.

Is this an emerging trend? Graphika noted that its report was built on previous research by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue that documented several spamouflage accounts falsely posing as Trump supporters. Data from both reports shows that attempts by spamouflage to impersonate U.S. voters are more extensive than previously believed.

Dig deeper: Read my report on U.S. intelligence officials confirming Iran’s hand in stoking pro-Palestinian protests online.