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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Josh Taylor

Meta closes nearly 9,000 Facebook and Instagram accounts linked to Chinese ‘Spamouflage’ foreign influence campaign

Meta Spamouflage Facebook Instagram United States Medium Twitter Inc. Australia Reddit Vimeo
Photo illustration of computer code under a Chinese flag
Meta says it uncovered a foreign influence network of Chinese origin, known as Spamouflage, operating on more than 50 platforms and forums online including Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter and YouTube. Photograph: Thomas White/Reuters

Meta shut down close to 9,000 Facebook and Instagram accounts, groups and pages associated with a Chinese political spam network that had targeted users in Australia and other parts of the world, the company has revealed.

Meta began investigating in 2019 and its research aligned with several research groups who coined the term Spamouflage, including the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (Aspi).

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