{"id":2358955,"date":"2024-10-24T11:53:58","date_gmt":"2024-10-24T15:53:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/microsoft-discovers-chinese-election-interference-efforts-aimed-at-damaging-republican-candidates\/"},"modified":"2024-10-24T11:57:46","modified_gmt":"2024-10-24T15:57:46","slug":"microsoft-discovers-chinese-election-interference-efforts-aimed-at-damaging-republican-candidates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/microsoft-discovers-chinese-election-interference-efforts-aimed-at-damaging-republican-candidates\/","title":{"rendered":"Microsoft Discovers Chinese Election Interference Efforts Aimed at Damaging Republican Candidates"},"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\">22<\/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%2Fmicrosoft-discovers-chinese-election-interference-efforts-aimed-at-damaging-republican-candidates%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=2358955&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--><p>According to a report from Microsoft&#8217;s Threat Analysis Center, China is reportedly interfering in the upcoming U.S. elections by\u200c targeting Republican candidates, including Senators\u200d and Representatives who advocate for anti-China policies. The report specifically mentions attempts to tarnish \u200bthe reputations of Senator Marco Rubio and Representatives Barry Moore, Michael McCaul, and Marsha Blackburn, all of\u2064 whom \u200bare running for election. <\/p>\n<p>The Chinese interference strategies include spreading antisemitic messages, making accusations of corruption, and \u2064supporting opposition candidates. Microsoft cautions that these <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/officials-say-meena-harris-social-media-posts-could-interfere-with-u-s-diplomacy-with-india\/\" title=\"Officials say Meena Harris social media posts could interfere with U.S. diplomacy with India\">foreign influence operations<\/a> can affect\u2063 public opinion \u200dand \u2064electoral outcomes, particularly during the critical period surrounding Election Day. The Chinese\u200c group identified as responsible for these activities is called Taizi Flood, linked \u200dto China&#8217;s Ministry of Public Security. <\/p>\n<p>China&#8217;s embassy has denied these \u2063allegations, claiming that they do not intend to interfere in U.S. elections and dismissing the \u200bclaims as\u200d malicious speculation. \u200bHowever, \u200cthe tactics used include coordinated \u2062attacks against candidates by bots as well as the dissemination of misleading information. The concerns are part of broader issues involving meddling not \u2062only from \u200dChina but also from other nations like Russia and Iran, \u200bespecially \u2062during heightened emotional contexts in \u200bpolitics.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> <script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>China is meddling with American elections in three states while also smearing Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, according to Microsoft.<\/p>\n<p>A report from the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center said China is targeting three Republicans &ndash; Reps. Barry Moore of Alabama, Michael McCaul of Texas as well as Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee &ndash; all of whom are up for election next month, as well as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/marco-rubio-turns-tables-meet-press-anchor-tries-trap-gotcha-question\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rubio<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Chinese influence operations have focused on down-ballot Republican candidates and members of Congress that advocate for anti-Chinese policies,&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.microsoft.com\/on-the-issues\/2024\/10\/23\/as-the-u-s-election-nears-russia-iran-and-china-step-up-influence-efforts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Microsoft<\/a> said in its report.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Actors have parroted antisemitic messages, amplified accusations of corruption, and promoted opposition candidates. While not always resulting in high levels of engagement, these efforts demonstrate China&rsquo;s sustained attempts influence U.S. politics across the board,&rdquo; the report said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;History has shown foreign actors&rsquo; ability to rapidly distribute deceptive content can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wisconsin-gop-urges-left-wing-judges-recusal-from-marc-elias-case-over-conflict-of-interest\/\" title=\"Wisconsin GOP demands left-wing judge&#039;s recusal in Marc Elias case due to &#039;conflict of interest\">significantly impact public perception<\/a> and electoral outcomes. With a particular focus on the 48 hours before and after Election Day, voters, government institutions, candidates, and parties must remain vigilant against deceptive and suspicious activity online,&rdquo; Microsoft warned, noting that Russia and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/experts-issue-grave-warning-iran-launch-damaging-cyber-attacks-sanctions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Iran<\/a> are also using social media to impact Americans&rsquo; emotions at election time.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;During times of heightened emotion, conflict, and competition, manipulated images, audio, and video often travel further and faster across audiences than during an average news cycle. Foreign actors have proven nimble and capable of inserting deceptive content and distributing it rapidly during these moments,&rdquo; Microsoft warned.<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/us\/chinese-influence-operation-targets-us-down-ballot-races-microsoft-says-2024-10-23\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Reuters<\/a>, the Chinese group attacking Republicans is called Taizi Flood, which is linked to China&rsquo;s Ministry of Public Security<\/p>\n<p>A representative of China&rsquo;s embassy denied <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/ap-china-ignores-biden-harris-administration-engages-massive-military-exercise-sensitive-region\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">China<\/a> was fishing in America&rsquo;s troubled political waters.<\/p>\n<p>China &ldquo;has no intention and will not interfere in the U.S. election&rdquo; and that such claims are &ldquo;full of malicious speculations,&rdquo; the representative said.<\/p>\n<p>Bots attacked Moore for supporting Israel, claimed Rubio was part of a corruption plot, accused McCaul of insider trading and boosted Blackburn&rsquo;s opponent.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We know that the CCP is anti-Semitic, so it isn&rsquo;t surprising that they are targeting me and other politicians who support Israel to try to sow division in advance of the most important election in our lifetime,&rdquo; Moore said.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">A China-linked account on X called Rep. Barry Moore (R-Ala.) &ldquo;a Jewish dog&rdquo; and claimed he won his primary because of &ldquo;the bloody Jewish consortium,&rdquo; among other derogatory tropes.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Eddie Du (@Edourdoo) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Edourdoo\/status\/1844721080407343108?\">October 11, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;China has made it clear they will use every weapon in their arsenal, including offensive cyber capabilities, to try and destroy democracy across the world,&rdquo; he said<\/p>\n<p>Rubio said in a statement that he China&rsquo;s goal was to &ldquo;shape American opinion on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/you-cant-make-this-up-disgraced-former-fbi-agent-peter-strzoks-wife-melissa-hodgman-named-acting-director-of-the-division-of-enforcement-for-the-sec\/\" title=\"You Can\u2019t Make This Up: Disgraced Former FBI Agent Peter Strzok\u2019s Wife, Melissa Hodgman, Named Acting Director of the Division of Enforcement for the SEC\">critical issues<\/a> and target specific candidates, especially those they view as anti-China.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Communist China&rsquo;s threats against me are nothing new, and it&rsquo;s no wonder they would try and target me again.&#8304;&#8304;Nothing will deter me from the mission &ndash; breaking China to save America. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/RFXBgOpkTx\">pic.twitter.com\/RFXBgOpkTx<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Marsha Blackburn (@VoteMarsha) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/VoteMarsha\/status\/1849210294582624525?\">October 23, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Jack Stubbs, chief intelligence officer of Graphika, which tracks cyber actors, said China wants to meddle to sow discord, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/china-disinformation-network-foreign-influence-us-election-a2b396518bafd8e36635a3796c8271d7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Associated Press<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;One of the world&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">largest covert online influence operations &#038;mdash<\/a>; an operation run by Chinese state actors &mdash; has become more aggressive in its efforts to infiltrate and to sway U.S. political conversations ahead of the election,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\">  <\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> <label>* Name<\/label> <br \/> <input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> <\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> <label>* <\/label> <br \/> <input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> <\/div>\n<p> <label>* Message<\/label> <br \/> <textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea>  <\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> <input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\">  <\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script>  <\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\">  <\/div>\n<style> \t\t\t \t\t\t.insticator-unit.type-commenting{margin: 0 10px 25px 10px}@media screen and (max-width:1060px){#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{margin: 0 auto 25px auto !important;}}#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{height: 280px !important; width: 336px !important} \t\t<\/style>\n<div class=\"insticator-unit type-commenting\">\n<div class=\"insticator-ads\">   <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> <\/div>\n<div class=\"insticator-ads additional\">   <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>China is interfering in U.S. elections across three states and attacking Republican Senator Marco Rubio from Florida, as reported by Microsoft. The Microsoft Threat Analysis Center revealed that China is focusing on three Republican candidates\u2014Reps. Barry Moore of Alabama, Michael McCaul of Texas, and Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee\u2014all facing elections next month, along with Rubio. The report stated that &#8220;Chinese influence operations have targeted down-ballot Republican candidates and Congress members who support anti-China policies.&#8221; It noted that these efforts include spreading antisemitic messages, amplifying corruption allegations, and promoting rival candidates. Although these actions may not always generate significant engagement, they reflect China&#8217;s ongoing attempts to sway U.S. politics overall. Microsoft cautioned that foreign actors can quickly disseminate misleading content that can greatly affect public perception and election results, especially in the critical 48 hours surrounding Election Day; thus voters must be alert to deceptive online activities.<\/p>\n<p>During emotionally charged times like elections, manipulated media often spreads more rapidly than usual news content. A Chinese group known as Taizi Flood has been identified as responsible for targeting Republicans; it is linked to China&#8217;s Ministry of Public Security. A representative from the Chinese embassy denied any interference in U.S. elections and dismissed such claims as &#8220;malicious speculations.&#8221; Attacks included derogatory remarks against Moore for his support of Israel and accusations against Rubio regarding corruption.<\/p>\n<p>Moore remarked on the CCP&#8217;s antisemitism targeting him due to his pro-Israel stance ahead of a crucial election period while emphasizing their intent to create division among voters.<\/p>\n<p>Rubio stated that China&#8217;s aim is to influence American perspectives on key issues while specifically targeting candidates they perceive as anti-China.<\/p>\n<p>Marsha Blackburn also expressed her awareness of ongoing threats from China but affirmed her commitment to countering them for America&#8217;s sake.<\/p>\n<p>Jack Stubbs from Graphika highlighted the increasing aggressiveness of a major covert online influence operation run by Chinese state actors aimed at disrupting U.S political discourse before the upcoming election<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2358956,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Xi-and-crew.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[43638,19536,27600,43639,41680],"class_list":["post-2358955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-chinese-election-interference","tag-cybersecurity","tag-microsoft","tag-political-manipulation","tag-republican-candidates"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Xi-and-crew.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2358955","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\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2358955"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2358955\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2358956"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2358955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2358955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2358955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}