In a recent development, Canada has announced that it has identified a disinformation campaign likely linked to China, targeting several Canadian politicians, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. This campaign, known as “spamouflage,” employed a barrage of online posts with the intention of discrediting Canadian Members of Parliament (MPs) and silencing criticism of Beijing. The discovery was made by Canada’s Rapid Response Mechanism, a system established to monitor foreign state-sponsored disinformation efforts.
According to Global Affairs Canada, the spamouflage campaign began in August and intensified over the first weekend of September. It employed a network of bots that flooded the social media accounts of various Canadian politicians with thousands of comments in both English and French. These comments falsely accused the politicians of criminal and ethical wrongdoing based on allegations made by a critic of the Chinese Communist Party in Canada. In addition to these comments, the campaign also utilized “deep fake” videos, which are digitally altered videos created through artificial intelligence techniques, to target specific individuals.
This incident is the latest in a series of accusations from Canadian intelligence agencies and officials, alleging Chinese interference in Canada’s elections. A spamouflage campaign typically utilizes a network of new or hijacked social media accounts to disseminate propaganda messages across multiple platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Medium, Reddit, TikTok, and LinkedIn. Interestingly, the same accounts involved in this campaign were also found spreading disinformation about the wildfires in Hawaii during August, falsely attributing their cause to a secret US military “weather weapon.”
Notable figures targeted by this campaign included Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Conservative opposition leader Pierre Polievre, and several members of Trudeau’s cabinet. Global Affairs Canada promptly notified the relevant social media platforms about these posts, resulting in the removal of much of the campaign’s content and network. The affected politicians were also informed and provided guidance on protecting themselves and reporting any suspected foreign interference.
Authorities suspect that the bot network involved in this campaign might be connected to a larger and well-known spamouflage network, previously reported on by major tech companies like Meta and Microsoft. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute, a non-partisan think tank based in Canberra, has been actively researching this network and was instrumental in assisting Canada with its assessments. In response to these growing concerns, Canada initiated a foreign interference inquiry in September, specifically targeting potential meddling in its elections by not only China but also Russia and other actors.
As this disinformation campaign highlights the vulnerability of democratic processes to foreign interference, Canada’s move to investigate and expose these activities is crucial in maintaining the integrity of its elections. The government has taken necessary steps to raise awareness among politicians and social media platforms alike, encouraging vigilance in identifying and reporting suspicious activities.
It remains to be seen how China will respond to these accusations. The BBC has reached out to the Chinese embassy in Canada for an official statement regarding the disinformation campaign but has not received a response yet. With tensions between China and Canada already strained due to various issues, such as the detention of Canadian citizens in China and trade disputes, this latest revelation adds another layer of complexity to the bilateral relationship.
In conclusion, the discovery of a Chinese disinformation campaign targeting Canadian politicians underscores the need for heightened vigilance against foreign interference in democratic processes. As technology evolves, so do the methods employed by malicious actors, emphasizing the importance of robust monitoring systems and collaboration between governments, tech companies, and think tanks to combat disinformation effectively. By launching a foreign interference inquiry and sharing its findings with the international community, Canada sets an example for other nations grappling with similar challenges.
