Security News > 2022 > September > Meta busts first Chinese campaign prodding US midterms

Meta says it has disrupted a misinformation network targeting US politics ahead of the 2022 midterm elections and one that sought to influence public opinion in Europe about the conflict in Ukraine.

According to its report of the takedowns, the Chinese operation targeting US audiences attempted to reach both sides of the aisle, but was largely unsuccessful.

Ben Nimmo, Meta's global threat intelligence lead, reiterated to CNN that Meta had never seen Chinese groups target US politics.

Meta says that the same Chinese group was also targeting the Czech Republic, primarily in an attempt to influence opinions of their country's policies toward China and Ukraine.

In contrast to the small and somewhat unsuccessful Chinese-based misinformation campaign, Meta described the Russian misinformation network it rattled as "The largest and most complex Russian-origin operation that we've disrupted since the beginning of the war in Ukraine."

Meta's report doesn't specifically accuse any government or group of either the Chinese or Russian campaigns, only saying that the groups appeared to be operating out of those countries.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2022/09/27/meta_chinese_campaign/