Meta, the social media giant formerly known as Facebook, has taken down thousands of accounts and pages connected to a Chinese state-backed disinformation group called “Spamouflage” or “Dragonbridge.” This action marks the largest-ever effort by Meta to disrupt a foreign influence campaign.
According to Meta’s Q2 Adversarial Threat Report, the company reported removing a total of 7,704 Facebook accounts, 954 Pages, 15 Groups, and 15 Instagram accounts associated with Spamouflage. These actions were taken because the disinformation group violated Meta’s policies regarding coordinated inauthentic behavior.
Meta’s automated systems played a significant role in detecting and disabling many of the Spamouflage accounts. This led the group to shift its focus to smaller platforms and then attempt to amplify its content on larger services in order to maintain its presence.
Spamouflage has been operating as a disinformation outfit since at least 2019. Its primary objective is to promote content aligning with the political interests of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). In a bulletin released by Meta, Spamouflage was referred to as “the largest known cross-platform covert influence operation in the world.” The group consists of operators dispersed across China and appears to receive content directions from a central authority. Some members are associated with Chinese law enforcement.
Spamouflage maintains a presence across major social platforms, including Twitter (now known as X), YouTube, TikTok, Reddit, and others. It also targets both English- and Chinese-speaking audiences globally, with a focus on populations in Taiwan, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Japan.
The group uses various tactics to support the political agenda of the PRC. This includes praising President Xi Jinping while denouncing his critics and the policies of Western governments. Spamouflage is known for its heavy reliance on AI-generated content, utilizing fake images of US political leaders and even presenting fake news segments featuring AI newscasters. The group’s content, which includes videos, memes, and text posts, is often peppered with malicious links.
Despite its extensive reach, Spamouflage’s efforts to sway public opinion in favor of China have largely been unsuccessful. Meta stated, “We have not found evidence of this network getting any substantial engagement among authentic communities on our services.” While some accounts followed Spamouflage’s pages and Instagram accounts, Meta discovered that these numbers were primarily inflated by fake engagement farms from countries such as Bangladesh, Brazil, and Vietnam. Therefore, the followers were from countries outside the group’s target regions.
However, Meta recognizes that Spamouflage’s activities could still yield results in the future. China continues to invest in influence operations, with new waves of fake social media accounts and tactics like spreading false stories through legitimate news outlets or even securing billboard space in Times Square. At times, China has even enlisted the help of PR firms to execute these campaigns.
Ani Chaudhuri, the CEO of Dasera, explains that countering a group of Spamouflage’s magnitude goes beyond merely removing a few thousand pages and accounts. To effectively combat such campaigns, users must be better educated about the threat, platforms need to be more transparent and collaborative in their efforts, and advanced analytical tools are necessary to detect patterns and behaviors associated with influence operations. Chaudhuri emphasizes the need for proactive measures, collaboration, and advanced data governance practices to counter this evolving battlefield of information warfare.
In conclusion, Meta’s latest effort in dismantling Spamouflage demonstrates its commitment to combating foreign influence campaigns. While the immediate impact of Spamouflage’s operations may appear limited, the long-term goal is to gradually shift perceptions, exploit vulnerabilities in democratic processes, and ultimately exert influence. By raising awareness, enhancing transparency, and developing advanced tools, social media platforms and users can better protect themselves against these threats in the evolving landscape of information warfare.