The Chinese government has built up the world’s largest known online disinformation operation and is using it to harass US residents, politicians, and businesses—at times threatening its targets with violence, a CNN review of court documents and public disclosures by social media companies has found.

The onslaught of attacks – often of a vile and deeply personal nature – is part of a well-organized, increasingly brazen Chinese government intimidation campaign targeting people in the United States, documents show.

The US State Department says the tactics are part of a broader multi-billion-dollar effort to shape the world’s information environment and silence critics of Beijing that has expanded under President Xi Jinping. On Wednesday, President Biden is due to meet Xi at a summit in San Francisco.

Victims face a barrage of tens of thousands of social media posts that call them traitors, dogs, and racist and homophobic slurs. They say it’s all part of an effort to drive them into a state of constant fear and paranoia.

  • @hark@lemmy.world
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    21 year ago

    Again, CNN is making the claim of “world’s known largest disinformation operation” so pointing out the US is valid because it’s a comparison from the beginning. The word “known” is a key word here because they can claim ignorance on the US bot operation, even though it is likely much larger. I did respond to the initial conversation by bringing up the point that the US disinformation operation exists as well i.e. this is called information warfare and all countries are engaging in it. You’d be stupid to think that wasn’t the case.

    You were never actually engaging in this conversation because all you wanted anyone to talk about was “China bad” and anything beyond that you consider wHaTaBoUtIsM. Like, what else is there to discuss? That China should stop it? Yeah, I also wish we could get rid of nukes, but they’re a tool of nations that simply won’t be eliminated because they serve a purpose to further a nation’s agenda.

    Anyway, you and you posse can continue mindlessly upvoting your posts while mindlessly downvoting my posts if it’ll help you folks sleep better. Just don’t engage, don’t think, only emphasize points your propaganda pals at CNN want you to emphasize.