A misinformation campaign originating from China appears to be intensifying its efforts as the November presidential election draws closer.

The Bangkok Post reports the operation known as “Spamouflage” or “Dragonbridge” has thousands of accounts on social media, websites and forums.

The research firm Graphika says the aim is to “become more aggressive in its efforts to infiltrate and sway US political conversations.”

“This matters because it shows Chinese influence targeting the U.S. are evolving, engaging in more advanced deceptive behaviors and directly targeting these organic, but hyper-sensitive rifts in society,” said Jack Stubbs of Graphika’s research team.

The Graphika report comes just weeks after a report from the San Francisco-based non-profit, Chinese for Affirmative Action, called out a “right wing disinformation in the Chinese American community” for “reflecting a politics of hate.”

“After Vice President Kamala Harris became the presumptive nominee for the Democratic Party, disinformation narratives framed her candidacy with sexist and misogynistic remarks as well as false claims in hopes of undermining her campaign,” Kennis Chen, Advocate, Chinese Digital Engagement said in a statement. “The disinformation we’ve tracked aims to undermine confidence in the voting process and the election’s outcome.” 

CAA says X under Elon Musk has overtaken WeChat as the platform with the most Chinese-language disinformation.

The report describes Trump as being treated as a “god-like figure,” especially after the recent assassination attempt and it says artificial intelligence is playing an increased role in this disinformation.

However, the Post reports the Spamouflage operation does not appear to favor one political party over the other.

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