Canada has accused China-linked threat actors of orchestrating a disinformation campaign known as “spamouflage,” targeting Canadian politicians and government officials on social media platforms.
Furthermore, this campaign, which occurred in August and September, involved thousands of fake accounts posting comments on politicians’ Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) accounts in English and French. The false claims made by these fake accounts included allegations of corruption, racism, and dishonesty among Canadian politicians, along with the spread of conspiracy theories. Family members of politicians were also targeted, with personal allegations and misinformation.
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) analyzed the campaign and suggested that the spamouflage network is likely connected to similar efforts previously linked to Chinese state entities. Over 2,000 fake accounts were involved in this campaign, targeting nearly 50 Canadian politicians from different political parties. The primary objective of this operation appears to be discrediting Canadian politicians and undermining their political and ethical standards. It is also likely that the threat actors aimed to suppress criticism of China within Canada.
Canada’s foreign ministry alerted social media platforms about the spamouflage campaign, resulting in the removal of a significant portion of the malicious network. Canadian authorities have stated that this campaign did not pose a direct threat to the safety of parliamentarians or their families. This disinformation campaign adds to existing tensions between Canada and China, with diplomatic relations strained since 2018 due to the arrest of a top executive from Chinese tech giant Huawei in Vancouver. This arrest led to China detaining two Canadian citizens on charges of espionage. In response to these online interference efforts, Canada initiated an independent public inquiry in September to investigate alleged foreign interference by both China and Russia in Canadian affairs.
