Microsoft has released new research showing that a massive army of social media bots controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is attempting to influence the US election and targeting several anti-CCP federal lawmakers. Two Chinese affairs experts who are closely following the situation have shared their insights on the impact of these actions by the CCP and how the US can counter them.
On October 23, Microsoft’s report pointed out that Russia, Iran, and the CCP are continuously exerting influence aimed at disrupting the US democratic process. A social media bot army controlled by the CCP is trying to influence the US election, targeting voters in Alabama, Texas, and Tennessee, focusing on defaming lower-ranking Republican candidates and congressional members who advocate anti-CCP policies.
The targeted lawmakers include Alabama Congressman Barry Moore, Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn, Texas Congressman Michael McCaul, and Florida Senator Marco Rubio, all of whom are Republicans.
Taiwan Inspiration Association (TIA) CEO Lai Rongwei told Epoch Times that the purpose of CCP intervention is to make anti-CCP candidates lose and to undermine American voters’ support for government policies, even fostering discord among US voters and shaking their belief in the spirit of the United States since its founding, including efforts to promote democracy worldwide.
He pointed out that whether it’s Trump or Harris, the CCP spreads rumors behind the scenes. The CCP heavily criticizes human rights in the US using new media technologies, social chat platforms, AI, etc., while being the country with the least respect for human rights themselves.
Lai Rongwei said that the CCP aims to create chaos in the US, causing the country to have resources and power but unable to operate effectively. This manipulation aims to keep the US distracted with domestic affairs, causing a lack of focus on international matters, potentially leading to betrayal of allies. The CCP also distorts all US actions internationally into being illegal or illegitimate, which is the primary goal of both Russia and the CCP.
The US defense policy group, The Jamestown Foundation, recently published a study titled “China’s Diplomacy with Chinese Characteristics: The ‘Pop-up’ Activities of the Chinese Communist Consulates in New York and Other Gray Areas,” showing that CCP consulates in New York, San Francisco, and Chicago provide “consular services to the community” for Chinese citizens in the US, raising questions about their legality and concerns about collecting overseas Chinese intelligence and interfering in elections.
Lai Rongwei stated that the CCP has long used the Chinese people to promote its narratives, manipulate individuals to serve the CCP, and choose people to assist with information gathering, monitoring the actions of local Chinese residents. This interference is a violation of sovereignty and needs to be exposed to help citizens enhance their ability to identify such activities.
Rubio and the other four US lawmakers who were targeted by the CCP have responded strongly to the allegations, while the Chinese Embassy in the US vehemently denied any interference, stating that “China has no intention, nor will it interfere in the US election” and opposes malicious speculations.
Lai Rongwei expressed admiration for the efforts of Epoch Times and NTD in this regard.
Yao Yaoyuan, professor of international studies at St. Thomas University in the US, stated that in the past, the US was aware that the CCP would use social media platforms they could control, as well as deploy robot armies to attack even platforms they couldn’t control, using deepfake technology to fabricate news and videos to alter foreigners’ perceptions of presidential candidates, however, the investigation wasn’t as detailed as in this case.
“Microsoft made it very clear. And for a tech giant like Microsoft to speak out, it shows that the US tech industry is taking a serious look at the threats the CCP poses to democratic countries. Unlike in the past, where many things weren’t spoken clearly due to concerns about the Chinese market.”
He believes that this move by Microsoft is unprecedented and naturally will offend the CCP, but the CCP cannot ban Microsoft. “You can ban me, but then probably 80% of Chinese won’t use computers. The CCP’s most likely approach now is to continue denying everything, calling these accusations baseless, so they don’t have much leverage against Microsoft.”
Regarding the CCP Embassy’s denial of Microsoft’s report, Yao Yaoyuan said the CCP always acts this way, but this time it can’t make such strong statements and can only claim everything is false. “But how can you deceive people when Microsoft had so many engineers analyzing the data?”
He mentioned that the impact of CCP intervention methods is challenging to estimate because the spread of false information is difficult to trace back to its origins, making it difficult to determine how many people have seen it and its destructive effects on the US democratic system.
He suggested three approaches for the US to counteract CCP interference:
Firstly, removing platforms related to the CCP directly through legal means, which doesn’t conflict with freedom of speech since these are platforms controlled by the CCP disseminating harmful misinformation affecting US institutions and national security, similar to the discussions about banning TikTok.
Secondly, through media and education, educating the American public on how to discern between true and false information on social media, emphasizing the need to verify before making political judgments.
“Lastly, companies like Microsoft should improve their ability to detect CCP robot armies. Currently, platforms like Facebook, X, or Instagram are filled with these robots. The key is to swiftly identify and block these robot accounts at the source, preventing the spread of false information, enhancing control mechanisms for democratic platforms.”