{"id":2025089,"date":"2023-09-07T19:12:02","date_gmt":"2023-09-07T23:12:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/china-based-hackers-impersonated-us-voters-with-ai-generated-propaganda-during-2022-elections-microsoft\/"},"modified":"2023-09-07T19:14:36","modified_gmt":"2023-09-07T23:14:36","slug":"china-based-hackers-impersonated-us-voters-with-ai-generated-propaganda-during-2022-elections-microsoft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/china-based-hackers-impersonated-us-voters-with-ai-generated-propaganda-during-2022-elections-microsoft\/","title":{"rendered":"Chinese hackers used AI-generated propaganda to impersonate US voters during the 2022 elections, says Microsoft."},"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\">30<\/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%2Fchina-based-hackers-impersonated-us-voters-with-ai-generated-propaganda-during-2022-elections-microsoft%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=2025089&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 data-post-content=\"true\" class=\"post_content\" id=\"post_content\">\n<p>China-based hackers \u2064impersonated American voters online and \u200bused artificial intelligence (AI) to create and promote divisive online content during \u2062the 2022 midterm elections, according to a report by Microsoft.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<blockquote>\n<p>The effort\u200b was part of a series of covert influence operations\u200d by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) intended to \u2063mimic U.S.\u2064 voters from across the political spectrum and create controversy along racial, economic, \u2062and ideological lines, according to the Sept. 7 <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.microsoft.com\/on-the-issues\/2023\/09\/07\/digital-threats-cyberattacks-east-asia-china-north-korea\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">report<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote><\/div>\n<p>\u201cAhead of the 2022\u2062 U.S. midterms, Microsoft and industry partners observed CCP-affiliated social media accounts impersonating U.S. voters\u2014new territory for CCP-affiliated [influence operations],\u201d the \u200dreport reads.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode\">\n<div class=\"border-comp-divider mb-4 mr-4 w-full max-w-[500px] border px-5 py-4 text-[16px] leading-[20px] text-[#262626] md:float-left\" id=\"in_article_related_stories\">\n<div class=\"mb-3 font-sans text-[16px] font-semibold uppercase leading-[19px] text-[#2F2F2F]\">Related Stories<\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/china\/mind-dominance-the-ccps-disinformation-war-on-us-social-media-4933312\">&#8216;Mind Dominance&#8217;: The CCP&#8217;s \u2064Disinformation War on \u200cUS Social Media<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">12\/31\/2022<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/china\/mind-dominance-the-ccps-disinformation-war-on-us-social-media-4933312\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/meta-purges-massive-influence-operation-linked-to-chinas-law-enforcement-5482769\">Meta Purges Massive Influence Operation Linked to China&#8217;s Law Enforcement<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">8\/30\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/meta-purges-massive-influence-operation-linked-to-chinas-law-enforcement-5482769\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cThese accounts posed as Americans across the political spectrum and responded to comments from authentic users.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The report\u2062 includes examples of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/state-department-spends-500k-subsidizing-bloggers-in-tajikistan\/\" title=\"State Department Spends 0k Subsidizing Bloggers in Tajikistan\">visual content created<\/a>\u2062 by \u200dChinese communist actors using artificial intelligence. These included images supporting <strong>\u201cBlack Lives Matter,\u201d<\/strong> the false claim that \u2062 <strong>\u201cmost\u2064 black people \u200bare killed by police,\u201d<\/strong> and more generic \u200banti-American rhetoric.<\/p>\n<p>The report\u2062 says that the AI-generated content is more\u200c <strong>\u201ceye-catching\u201d<\/strong> than\u200b China\u2019s previous attempts at overseas propaganda and will likely be improved upon and used against Americans in the future.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode post-related-videos\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cWe have\u2062 observed China-affiliated actors leveraging AI-generated visual \u200dmedia \u2064in a broad campaign that largely\u2062 focuses on politically divisive topics, such as gun violence, and denigrating U.S. political figures and symbols,\u201d the report reads.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<blockquote>\n<h2><strong>World&#8217;s Largest Covert Influence Operation<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Publication of the\u200d report comes less than\u200b two weeks after tech giant Meta <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/meta-purges-massive-influence-operation-linked-to-chinas-law-enforcement-5482769\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">purged thousands\u200b of accounts<\/a> linked to Chinese law enforcement from its \u2062platforms.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote><\/div>\n<p>Meta said that the\u200b accounts were part of the largest\u2064 known <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-book-claims-facebook-knew-of-election-interference-in-early-2016\/\" title=\"New book claims Facebook knew of election interference in early 2016\">covert influence operation<\/a> \u2063in the world and were engaged \u2063in \u200dspreading\u2064 pro-Chinese communist and \u2064anti-U.S. propaganda.<\/p>\n<p>Meta said the covert \u2062influence operation, dubbed <strong>\u201cspamouflage,\u201d<\/strong> was active on more than 50 platforms,\u200b including \u200dX (formerly known as \u200cTwitter), YouTube, TikTok,\u2063 Reddit,\u2063 Pinterest, Medium,\u2062 Quora, and Vimeo.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe network \u2062was run by geographically dispersed operators across China who\u2064 appear to have been centrally provisioned with internet access \u2064and content directions,\u201d the\u2064 report reads.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTaken together, we estimate Spamouflage to be the largest known cross-platform covert influence\u2062 operation to date.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Spamouflage also manufactured and attempted to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/china-based-hackers-impersonated-us-voters-with-ai-generated-propaganda-during-2022-elections-microsoft\/\" title=\"Chinese hackers used AI-generated propaganda to impersonate US voters during the 2022 elections, says Microsoft.\">distribute conspiracy theories \u2064apparently \u2064intended<\/a> to undermine confidence\u2064 in \u200cthe United States and the \u200c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/china-mocks-and-attacks-the-united-states-on-u-s-soil-biden-admin-struggles-to-respond\/\" title=\"China Mocks And Attacks The United States On U.S. Soil; Biden Admin Struggles To Respond\">rules-based international order<\/a>. These\u200d included stories claiming that the United States started COVID-19 by \u2062shipping contaminated seafood to \u200dChina, bombed the NordStream\u200c natural gas pipelines, and committed genocide.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<blockquote>\n<h2><strong>Undermining \u200bUS From Within<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The drastic uptick in malicious China-based cyber activity\u200b has been\u200c linked to the regime\u2019s military and\u2063 political doctrine of so-called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/china\/mind-dominance-the-ccps-disinformation-war-on-us-social-media-4933312\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u201cmind dominance,\u201d<\/a> a form of cognitive \u200dwarfare designed to defeat the United States without entering an\u200d all-out war.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote><\/div>\n<p>Before 2019, the CCP largely\u2062 exploited the United States\u2019 open media environment to promote positive views of China and communism. Its state-backed influencers used paid advertising \u200cand bot\u2064 networks to earn favorable views abroad.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>By 2022, however, a report (<a href=\"https:\/\/go.recordedfuture.com\/hubfs\/reports\/ta-2022-0928.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pdf<\/a>) \u2064by\u2063 cyber security firm Recorded Future found that the CCP had successfully pivoted into a\u200d new phase of influence operations, marked by the targeted messaging of well-defined audiences \u200cthat \u200bwere segmented \u2062based on granular demographic data, not unlike data used \u200cby global marketing and \u200cresearch agencies.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>These new accounts, according\u200b to Recorded Future, likely receive guidance or material support\u2063 from the CCP\u2019s United Front Work Department,\u200c a\u2063 powerful agency charged with overseeing global influence operations, and the regime\u2019s top intelligence agency, the\u200d Ministry of State Security.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s mo<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>China-based hackers utilized artificial intelligence (AI) to impersonate American voters and spread divisive online content during the 2022 midterm elections, as per Microsoft&#8217;s report. These actions were part of the Chinese Communist Party&#8217;s (CCP) covert influence operations, aiming to imitate a wide range of U.S. political affiliations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":228,"featured_media":2025090,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2025089","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2025089","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\/228"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2025089"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2025089\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2025090"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2025089"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2025089"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2025089"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}