China's Influence Operation Targets US Voters Ahead Of The Presidential Election

US voters are the target of Spamouflage or "Dragonbridge" (photo: x @arawnsley ·).

JAKARTA - The latest research conducted by intelligence firm Graphika reveals that influence operations from China are targeting voters in the United States by posing as US citizens, degrading US politicians, and spreading divisive messages ahead of the presidential election on November 5.

This operation is part of an effort already known as "Spamouflage" or "Dragonbridge," which mixes spam and targeted propaganda on the internet.

According to experts, Spamouflage has been active since at least 2017, but activities have increased as elections approach. The operation has taken advantage of thousands of accounts on more than 50 websites, forums, and social media platforms.

"The main message of this report," said Jack Stubbs, research team manager at Graphika, "is that Spamouflage is increasingly aggressive in its efforts to infiltrate and influence political conversations in the US."

In one of the examples highlighted by Graphika, the Chinese operation disguised itself as an American anti-war activist. Using several accounts on platform X, the operator created a meme that called Trump a "tricker" with a picture of himself wearing an orange prison uniform, and called Joe Biden a "cuter."

Liu Pengyu, spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington, said China had no intention and would not interfere with elections in the US, and hoped the US would not make China an issue in elections.

According to Facebook, the campaign has previously been linked to Chinese law enforcement, and is referred to as "the largest hidden influence operation known in the world."

Spamouflage does not appear to side by side with the political spectrum of both Democrats and Republicans but rather aims to strengthen existing criticism of the US society and government.

Graphika identifies 15 Spamouflage accounts on social media platform X and one account on TikTok, all claiming to be US citizens or media outlets. In addition, several related profiles on YouTube and Instagram have been suspended upon completion of the report.

A TikTok account named Harlan Report is one of the most successful assets of this group. The video posted by the account in July received 1.5 million views. This video, which was deleted by TikTok last week, mocks Biden's press conference at NATO's 75th anniversary summit.

The US government is currently investigating foreign efforts to intervene in elections. In July, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a report on election intervention, noting that China is approaching the US presidential election more carefully and may not plan to affect the outcome. However, the US continues to monitor efforts to further influence the US community.