Intelligence Kisses Chinese Agents' Involvement In US Lockdown Propaganda

Illustrated photo (Swapnil Baghwat / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - In mid-March, to coincide with the worsening of the COVID-19 case in the United States (US), there was a message that made residents nervous. The message circulated via SMS and went viral on social media. US intelligence senses that there is an operation by Chinese agents behind the fuss.

The issue of the message was about the Trump administration going into complete lockdown. "The government will announce this as soon as troops are prepared to prevent looters and rioters," read the message, quoted a source from the US Department of Homeland Security.

The messages were widespread for 48 hours until the White House National Security Council announced via Twitter that the message was a hoax. Quoting The New York Times, since the wave of panic emerged, US intelligence agents said there was an operation from Chinese agents who helped the message spread across multiple platforms.

The information was disclosed by six American officials whose names were withheld. This name is hereinafter referred to as the American officer. The hoax spreading technique has American officials worried. The reason is, disinformation appears via short messages on American cellphones. They said they had never seen anything like it.

However, the origin of the message remains unknown. The American officers refused to reveal who exposed the Chinese agents' link to the spread of disinformation. They argue that the need to protect their sources and methods to monitor Beijing's activities.

The information that American officials released is supported by new findings from research, including the Alliance for Safeguarding Democracy and the United States Center for Security. Their report about that reportedly will be released next month.

American officials say the operation appears to be adopting several techniques mastered by Russian-backed hackers. Creating fake social media accounts to create messages that appeal to Americans, for example. However, without realizing it, it actually helps spread propaganda.

In addition, they also revealed that Chinese agents appeared to be using SMS and encrypted messaging applications as part of their propaganda. Therefore, law enforcement officials have a harder time tracking the spread of the disinformation than it is on social media platforms.

Meanwhile, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs denies the allegations. "The relevant statements are nonsense and do not deserve to be denied," said Zhao Lijian, a ministry spokesman. "We urge the US to stop political manipulation, but rather organize its own country and focus more on fighting the pandemic and improving the economy," said Zhao.