Tens of thousands of social media accounts believed to have been ran by the Chinese government have been kicked offline. According to reports, both Twitter and Facebook have reportedly discovered that the Chinese government is wagering war against its own people and those protesting in Hong Kong, by illegally using social media to spread bizarre pieces of misinformation.
First up, on Monday night Facebook confirmed that they had reportedly discovered thousands of accounts linked to President Xi Jinping — whom in recent times has begun nan even equally bizarre campaign to silence his critics. The social media giant released the following image from their newsroom to exhibit the example of gross misuse at the hands of the Chinese.
These reports were reportedly what triggered Facebook to act. A previously published report tipped off social networks that Chinese officials’ had been paying to advertise their own propaganda. Both networks confirmed that such is an act of misuse and against their direct rules.
Meanwhile, on Twitters’ front more than 936 accounts were indefinitely banned from the site. The San Francisco based company confirmed in its information archive that they also had discovered propanda accounts used by the government.
“Overall, these accounts were deliberately and specifically attempting to sow political discord in Hong Kong, including undermining the legitimacy and political positions of the protest movement on the ground,” Twitter said in a blog post. “Based on our intensive investigations, we have reliable evidence to support that this is a coordinated state-backed operation.”
Following the initial report (from sites like Buzzfeed News), Twitter confirmed that governments who use their site to promote their misinformation will be banned and such is no longer allowed.
Be First to Comment