Spamouflage trolls pretend to be American patriots on X, TikTok ahead of US presidential election
Spamouflage, the Beijing-linked trolls known for spreading fake news about American politics, is back with new accounts on X and TikTok that claim to be frustrated US voters in "more aggressive" attempts to influence the upcoming presidential election.
The pro-People's Republic of China propaganda crew set up at least 15 accounts on X and one on TikTok claiming to be US patriots, according to a new report by social media analytics firm Graphika.
These fake personas include Harlan, an influencer and conservative news account spreading pro-Trump, MAGA narratives across both platforms, and "Abbey," an American "pure patriotic girl" on TikTok.
"In some cases, both personas have posted identical or near-identical copies of the same videos within hours of each other," according to the report [PDF].
While Spamouflage, also tracked as "Dragonbridge," did attempt to sow doubt in the American political system during the 2022 midterm elections, since mid-2023 the China-linked accounts have expanded their talking points. These now cover a broader range of divisive social issues, including gun control, homelessness, drug abuse, racial inequality, and the Israel-Hamas conflict with the phony accounts on X and TikTok posting content about the hot-button issues in English and Chinese.
