China’s dark shadow on US presidential election, Dragon created thousands of fake social media accounts to influence the results

As the US Presidential Election 2024 approaches, China’s strategies pose a serious threat to the democratic process. One of the major concerns coming from China is that it is using thousands of fake social media profiles to influence the outcome of the election, as reported in a report by The Epoch Times. This disinformation scheme is part of China’s broader strategy to influence global politics, and the US elections are a major target of this scheme. China has been trying to influence the US elections for several years now through the identity of Boxers, which are fake social media accounts, but its efforts have intensified as the 2024 election approaches.

These fake profiles impersonate real citizens and promote specific issues in support of China’s geopolitical interests. These accounts post politically charged content, spread misinformation and interact with real users, giving the appearance of support for a particular idea or candidate. The fake profiles specifically target voters who are divided on sensitive issues. For this, China’s aim is to control political discourse. These Chinese are trying to influence public opinion through content on platforms like Twitter, Facebook and TikTok. According to the report, these strategies of China are not limited to spreading misinformation. They also include “asterturfing”, which means pretending to have support for particular causes or candidates.

Apart from this, fake profiles work to increase tension in society by promoting controversial issues like race, immigration, and gun control. China is now using artificial intelligence (AI) to make fake profiles more effective. It creates profiles that look more real and can mimic human interaction, making them difficult to identify. The deployment of these fake profiles by China is not an immediate action, but it is a targeted campaign. More attention is being paid especially to those states where the election results are closely decided. Amid the growing adversarial relations between the US and China, China’s interference is a major part of its effort to establish leadership favorable to its interests. In such a situation, the US government and social media platforms are trying to counter such interference. US intelligence agencies are monitoring China’s activities and platforms like Facebook, Instagram have also stepped up efforts to remove fake accounts linked to foreign interference.