Meta Says: Russian Disabling China-Based Propaganda Network Targeting Europe

    photo:AP

A sprawling disinformation network originating in Russia sought to use hundreds of fake social media accounts and dozens of sham news websites to spread Kremlin talking points about the invasion of Ukraine, Meta revealed on Tuesday.

The company, which owns Facebook and Instagram, said it identified and disabled the operation before it was able to gain a large audience. Nonetheless, Facebook said it was the largest and most complex Russian propaganda effort that it has found since the invasion began.

The operation involved more than 60 websites created to mimic legitimate news sites including The Guardian newspaper in the United Kingdom and Germany’s Der Spiegel. Instead of the actual news reported by those outlets, however, the fake sites contained links to Russian propaganda and disinformation about Ukraine. More than 1,600 fake Facebook accounts were used to spread the propaganda to audiences in Germany, Italy, France, the U.K. and Ukraine.

The network maintained fake accounts across Meta's social media platforms Facebook and Instagram, as well as competitor service Twitter , but was small and did not attract much of a following, Meta said in a report summarizing its findings.

However, the report notes that the finding is significant because it suggests a shift to more direct involvement in US domestic politics than previously known Chinese propaganda efforts.

“Video: False Staging in Bucha Revealed!” claimed one of the fake news stories, which blamed Ukraine for the slaughter of hundreds of Ukrainians in a town occupied by the Russians.

Investigative journalists in Germany were the first to become aware of the network's activities. When Meta first started looking into the matter, it discovered that Facebook's automated systems had already eliminated a large number of the fraudulent accounts. When the network's Facebook pages were shut earlier this year, thousands of people were following them.

The network couldn't be immediately linked to the Russian government, according to researchers. The operation, according to Agranovich, used some advanced strategies, including the use of different languages and skillfully designed imposter websites, and he emphasised the role performed by Russian officials.

A message sent to the Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C., asking for a response to Meta’s recent actions was not immediately returned.

The Menlo Park, California-based Meta Platforms Inc.'s researchers also discovered a much smaller network that had its roots in China and tried to promote polarising political content in the United States.

With some posts obtaining just one engagement, the operation barely reached a small U.S. audience. The posts also made some basic English language errors and a tendency of posting during Chinese business hours, which revealed they weren't American.

Despite being ineffectual, the network is noteworthy because Meta recognised it as the first to have sent political messages to Americans in advance of this year's midterm elections. Despite not endorsing any particular party, the Chinese messages appeared to be trying to create division.

Ben Nimmo, who oversees global threat intelligence for Meta, said that even though the Chinese disinformation campaign failed, it was significant because it represented a change in strategy.