Canada Issued a Warning About the Dangers of 'Spamouflage"
Warning Highlights CCP-Linked Campaign
Overt Operator
October 24, 2023
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
The Canadian government issued a stark warning on Monday about an extensive "Spamouflage" disinformation campaign linked to China, aimed at undermining and discrediting lawmakers through the deployment of manipulated deepfake videos and a barrage of online posts.
The Global Affairs Department, in a statement, acknowledged detecting the malicious campaign orchestrated by the People's Republic of China. The bot-driven operation flooded social media accounts of several members of Parliament, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and opposition leader Pierre Poilievre, with defamatory messages accusing them of criminal and ethical violations.
The campaign, which commenced in early August and escalated in September, was reportedly designed with the intent to discredit and tarnish the reputation of targeted MPs and stifle criticism of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Tech behemoth Meta had previously highlighted the presence of such a pervasive online spam operation linked to China. In an August security report, Meta revealed that it had eliminated thousands of compromised accounts across Facebook and Instagram.
A Meta executive highlighted that the covert operation was active across more than 50 platforms and forums, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. It was described as "the largest" and "most prolific covert influence operation" in the world.
The disinformation network often posted content promoting China while disparaging the United States, Western foreign policies, and critics of the Chinese government, including journalists and researchers, according to the Meta report.
Taiwan, Australia, Britain, Japan, and global Chinese-speaking audiences were also identified as targets of the disinformation efforts.
This revelation comes amidst a year of soured relations between Ottawa and Beijing due to allegations of Chinese interference in Canadian affairs. The uncovering of this disinformation campaign is likely to further strain relations between the two nations and underscore the growing concern over online manipulation and cyber warfare.
The Canadian government is expected to take decisive action in responding to this cyber threat, highlighting the growing importance of cybersecurity in the digital age. This incident underscores the need for comprehensive cybersecurity policies, robust legislation, and international cooperation to combat the rising trend of disinformation campaigns and cyber threats globally.