A coordinated network of pro-China bot accounts spanning 30 social media platforms and over 40 additional websites and forums have made posts in at least seven different languages attempting to influence American politics, according to a report published Wednesday by cybersecurity firm Mandiant Threat Intelligence, a subsidiary of FireEye.
The network promoted certain pro-China political messages, such as the claim echoed by the Chinese government that COVID-19 originated in Fort Detrick, Maryland, and links to studies showing the virus was present in the U.S. in December 2019.
“These accounts have posted similar, and in many cases identical messaging and engaged in the coordinated sharing, commenting on, and liking of text, image, and video content,” Mandiant researchers Ryan Serabian and Lee Foster wrote in the report.
The bots also attempted to coax Asian Americans into engaging in protests against Guo Wengui, an exiled Chinese billionaire and close friend of former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon, as well as Chinese virologist Dr. Li-Meng Yan, who has said COVID-19 originated in a Chinese lab.