Spamouflage: China’s Alleged Digital Campaign Against Trudeau

In times there have been allegations of a propaganda campaign called Spamouflage, which is believed to have connections, with China causing a stir in Canadas political arena. This campaign has apparently targeted Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus and parliamentarians social media profiles.

The Spamouflage operation involves the use of a network consisting of either created or hijacked social media accounts. These accounts are then utilized to spread propaganda messages across platforms, like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and even LinkedIn.

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Canada and China have had a relationship since 2018. Canada has repeatedly accused Beijing of meddling in its affairs through overseas police stations. While China has consistently denied these claims.

According to the Rapid Response Mechanism, an organization, under Global Affairs Canada this Spamouflage campaign has attributed to the Peoples Republic of China. They believe that the main goal of this campaign is to suppress criticism of the regime.

Recent reports indicate that this propaganda effort began in August and specifically targeted lawmakers. The Canadian foreign ministry stated that during the September weekend. There an increase in bot generate activity on social media platforms with comments being post in both English and French.

The potential consequences of this campaign are worrisome. A foreign ministry report commented that such campaigns could impede members of parliament from carrying out their duties and discourage them as diaspora communities from expressing their concerns on important issues.

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Chinas embassy in Canada responded to these allegations by denying any interference, in countries internal affairs. They dismissed the accusations as a ” smear campaign”. Referred to Canada as a “purveyor of misinformation”.

There have been reports of Spamouflage posts accusing a known critic of the Chinese Communist Party, in Canada of making ethical allegations against the involved Members of Parliament. The campaign seems to have gone a step by using manipulated “deepfake” videos, which adds another layer of complexity to the situation.

To address this issue officials from GAC have reached out to all 47 MPs providing them with guidance on protecting themselves against interference. They have also reassured these MPs that the campaign does not pose a threat to their safety.