Twitter Suspends Accounts Spreading State-Backed Chinese Propaganda

Miguel Moreno
By Miguel Moreno
August 20, 2019Hong Kong
share

Twitter disclosed and suspended nearly 1,000 accounts from mainland China on Aug. 19 for “deliberately and specifically attempting to sow political discord in Hong Kong,” reads their statement.

For 11 consecutive weeks, the people of Hong Kong have protested against the now-suspended extradition bill: a bill that would allow the Chinese communist party (CCP) to transfer residents from the former British colony to face trial in the mainland.

HONG KONG-CHINA-POLITICS

The controversy stirred on Twitter, however, days before the state-backed Chinese accounts were censured.

While the United States and other nations have shown admiration and support for the mostly-peaceful protest, a user in Hong Kong came across articles trying to discredit the protest from Xinhua News—a Chinese state-run media—promoted by Twitter.

“Every day I go out and see stuff with my own eyes, and then I go to report it on Twitter and see promoted tweets saying the opposite of what I saw,” Pinboard wrote on Twitter on Aug. 17. “Twitter is taking money from Chinese propaganda outfits and running these promoted tweets against the top Hong Kong protest hashtag.”

Pinboard uploaded at least two screenshots of promoted tweets from Xinhua attempting to vilify the Hong Kong protest.

One of the tweets referred to the protests as an escalation of violence: “All walks of life in Hong Kong called for a brake to be put on the blatant violence and for order to be restored.”

Purge Follows Thread About Xinhua

China Analyst and Epoch Times journalist Heng He explained in an interview that Xinhua is the propaganda arm of the Chinese communist regime.

“There are several state mouthpieces, like the Xinhua News Agency, People’s Daily, and CCTV,” Heng said. “While we say this is a state mouthpiece, actually, this is the CPP’s mouthpiece, because all the media is fully controlled by the CCP.”

NTD Photo
Students for a Free Tibet protest below a new electronic billboard leased by Xinhua (2nd from top), on Aug. 1 in New York’s Times Square. (Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images)

For example, when the persecution of Falun Dafa—a meditation practice with principles of truth, compassion, and tolerance—was initiated by the CCP in 1999, Xinhua and other state-run media were directed to broadcast deceptive propaganda to the Chinese people. The practice was once held in high regard by the regime.

july 20 dc falun gong
Falun Gong practitioners take part in a rally commemorating the 20th anniversary of the persecution of Falun Gong in China, on the West Lawn of Capitol Hill on July 18, 2019. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

New Zealand academic and expert in Chinese politics Professor Anne-Marie Brady wrote in “Marketing Dictatorship” that by September 2006, foreign news agencies operating in China were also “forbidden from reporting on matters which could harm China’s State Security, undermine social stability, or help to spread the influence of cults or superstition.”

Twitter confirmed that “the ad that is being widely cited has been removed for violating our ads policies on inappropriate content,” in an email hours before its announcement.

“An American company shouldn’t endorse the CCP’s propaganda,” Heng said.

Facebook Joins the Crackdown

On the same day Twitter made its announcement, Facebook said it removed seven of its pages “involved in coordinated inauthentic behavior of a small network that originated in China,” according to a press release.

These pages also focused on the protests in Hong Kong.

The pages used fake accounts, posted manipulative content in groups, and frequently commented on the protests. Examples of the propaganda disseminated by these users were published by both social networks.

Facebook also said they removed 5 accounts and 3 groups that were associated with the banned pages.

social media apps on smartphone
This photo illustration taken on March 22, 2018, shows apps for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other social networks on a smartphone. (Chandan Khanna/AFP/Getty Images)

“These deceptive strategies have been around for far longer than Twitter has existed,” said Twitter. “They adapt and change as the geopolitical terrain evolves worldwide and as new technologies emerge.”

ntd newsletter icon
Sign up for NTD Daily
What you need to know, summarized in one email.
Stay informed with accurate news you can trust.
By registering for the newsletter, you agree to the Privacy Policy.
Comments