{"id":1082569,"date":"2021-12-04T00:43:58","date_gmt":"2021-12-04T05:43:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1082569"},"modified":"2021-12-04T00:44:01","modified_gmt":"2021-12-04T05:44:01","slug":"facebook-accuses-china-of-using-fake-swiss-biologist-to-peddle-coronavirus-misinformation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/facebook-accuses-china-of-using-fake-swiss-biologist-to-peddle-coronavirus-misinformation\/","title":{"rendered":"Facebook Accuses China of Using Fake Swiss Biologist to Peddle Coronavirus Misinformation"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffacebook-accuses-china-of-using-fake-swiss-biologist-to-peddle-coronavirus-misinformation%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1082569&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/GettyImages-1208233660-640x335-1.png\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p class=\"subheading\">Facebook (now known as Meta) has <a href=\"https:\/\/finance.yahoo.com\/finance\/news\/meta-removes-china-based-network-200000363.html\">removed<\/a> hundreds of accounts linked to China-based administrators for allegedly promoting coronavirus misinformation online, the U.S.-based social networking site said Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>Meta, formerly known as Facebook Inc., said it deleted \u201c524 Facebook accounts, 20 pages, four Groups and 86 Instagram accounts\u201d connected to the misinformation campaign.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"gmxrevmore\" class=\"H\"><\/figure>\n<p>The operation launched on July 24 involved a social media user posing as a fake Swiss biologist named \u201cWilson Edwards\u201d who claimed on Facebook and Twitter that the U.S. government was \u201cputting pressure on World Health Organization [W.H.O.] scientists studying the origins of COVID-19 [Chinese coronavirus] in an attempt to blame the virus on China,\u201d Facebook detailed in a <a href=\"https:\/\/about.fb.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Metas-Adversarial-Threat-Report.pdf\">report<\/a> published December 1.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWithin 48 hours, hundreds of social media accounts around the world had picked up on the story. Within a week, Chinese state media including the <em>Global Times<\/em> and <em>People\u2019s Daily<\/em> were running headlines about the alleged US \u2018intimidation,&#8217;\u201d Facebook recalled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOn August 10, the Swiss Embassy in Beijing announced that there was no record of any Swiss citizen by that name [\u201cWilson Edwards\u201d]. The same day, we investigated and removed the Facebook account as fake,\u201d the company detailed.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cLooking for Wilson Edwards, alleged [Swiss] biologist, cited in press and social media in China over the last several days. If you exist, we would like to meet you! But it is more likely that this is a fake news, and we call on the Chinese press and netizens to take down the posts,\u201d the embassy of Switzerland in China <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/europe\/2021\/08\/11\/communist-china-accused-of-inventing-swiss-scientist-to-dispute-coronavirus-origin\/\">wrote<\/a> in a Twitter <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SwissEmbChina\/status\/1425042973289504770\">statement<\/a>&nbsp;August 10.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" readability=\"13.346774193548\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Looking for Wilson Edwards, alleged  biologist, cited in press and social media in China over the last several days. If you exist, we would like to meet you! But it is more likely that this is a fake news, and we call on the Chinese press and netizens to take down the posts. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/U6ku5EGibm\">pic.twitter.com\/U6ku5EGibm<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Embassy of Switzerland in Beijing (@SwissEmbChina) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SwissEmbChina\/status\/1425042973289504770?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 10, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cAlthough most people behind this conspiracy-peddling network tried to conceal their identities and coordination, the [Meta] researchers found links to individuals in \u2026 China,\u201d Britain\u2019s <em>Independent<\/em> newspaper <a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/facebook-cracks-down-swiss-biologist-073628338.html\">noted<\/a> on December 2.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey said accounts linked to employees of information security firm Sichuan Silence Information Technology Co Ltd were also involved, as well as individuals associated with Chinese state infrastructure companies located around the world,\u201d the newspaper observed.<\/p>\n<p>Twitter in March <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/asia-pacific-china-europe-middle-east-government-and-politics-62b13895aa6665ae4d887dcc8d196dfc\">suspended<\/a>&nbsp;an \u201carmy\u201d of fake bot accounts for allegedly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/tech\/2021\/05\/12\/report-twitter-allowed-chinas-army-of-fake-accounts-to-run-amok\/\">violating<\/a> the company\u2019s rules about data \u201cmanipulation\u201d by amplifying pro-Chinese Communist Party (CCP) propaganda.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B3\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cCovid-19,\u201d or the Chinese coronavirus, is the name of the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, which is a type of coronavirus. SARS-CoV-2 first emerged in Wuhan, China, sometime in late 2019 before quickly spreading nationwide. China\u2019s epidemic soon spilled over the country\u2019s borders to the rest of the world, causing a pandemic that remains ongoing today. Much about the virus\u2019s origin remains unknown as China\u2019s ruling Communist Party worked in tandem with the W.H.O. to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/asia\/2020\/07\/22\/taiwan-passes-100-days-no-local-coronavirus-cases\/\">play down<\/a> the contagiousness and severity of illness caused by the then-novel coronavirus during the early weeks of Wuhan\u2019s epidemic. This cover-up coincided with a general obfuscation of SARS-CoV-2\u2019s provenance by CCP authorities.<\/p>\n<p>The W.H.O. sent a team of researchers and scientists to Wuhan in January to investigate the origins of the Chinese coronavirus pandemic. The mission was delayed for months by CCP officials who made the team\u2019s entry to China extremely difficult and often voiced public opposition to the probe, claiming it was unnecessary. The hindrances cost the W.H.O. team valuable time as original samples of the virus procured from some of China\u2019s first&nbsp;SARS-CoV-2 patients were at risk of being too old for viable examination once the researchers finally arrived, over a year after Wuhan\u2019s initial outbreak.<\/p>\n<p>The W.H.O., which is the United Nations (U.N.)\u2019s public health agency, published a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/publications\/i\/item\/who-convened-global-study-of-origins-of-sars-cov-2-china-part\">report<\/a> in March saying its investigation was \u201cinconclusive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have not yet found the source of the virus, and we must continue to follow the science and leave no stone unturned as we do,\u201d W.H.O. Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus <a href=\"https:\/\/news.un.org\/en\/story\/2021\/03\/1088702\">told<\/a> reporters shortly after the report\u2019s release on March 30.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn my discussions with the team, they expressed the difficulties they encountered in accessing raw data. I expect future collaborative studies to include more timely and comprehensive data sharing,\u201d he said, referring to China\u2019s interference in the probe.<\/p>\n<p>The W.H.O. announced on October 13 it planned to <a href=\"https:\/\/news.un.org\/en\/story\/2021\/03\/1088702\">establish<\/a> a new scientific group to study SARS-CoV-2\u2019s origin a second time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Facebook (now known as Meta) has removed hundreds of accounts linked to China-based administrators for allegedly promoting coronavirus misinformation online, the U.S.-based social networking site said Thursday. Meta, formerly known &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1082569","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1082569","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/37"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1082569"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1082569\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1082569"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1082569"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1082569"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}