'China’s 'Spamouflage' Bots Targeted Canadian MPs, PM Trudeau': Canada; China Dubs It 'Lie, False News'

Canadian foreign ministry said that the campaign, which operated in August and September, used networks of new and stolen social media accounts to send mass messages to dozens of lawmakers from different parties.

New Delhi: The Canadian government on Monday said it detected a “Spamouflage” campaign linked to China that used bots to spread lies and propaganda on the social media profiles of parliamentarians, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The foreign ministry said in a statement that the campaign, which operated in August and September, used networks of new and stolen social media accounts to send mass messages to dozens of lawmakers from different parties. The messages contained false and slanderous allegations against the lawmakers, such as criminal and ethical breaches, a conspiracy theory that a secret U.S. military weapon caused the Hawaiian wildfires, and deepfake videos.

The government said that thousands of these comments in English and French were posted on the lawmakers’ Facebook and X accounts, and that it worked with the platforms to remove the bot networks. The foreign ministry report said that the campaign was aimed at intimidating and silencing the MPs and the Canadian diaspora communities on issues that matter to them.

The Chinese embassy in Canada denied any involvement in the campaign and accused Canada of being a “downright liar and disseminator of false information”. It said that Canada had no direct or solid evidence to back up its claims that China was spreading false information against Canadian politicians. It also said that Canada should do more to enhance and develop its relations with China.

The relations between the two countries soured in late 2018 when Canadian police arrested a Chinese telecom executive. China retaliated by detaining two Canadians on espionage charges. All three were later released. Canada has also alleged that China has tried to interfere in its affairs through various means, such as illegal police stations and targeting lawmakers. China has strongly rejected all these accusations.

In September, the Trudeau government launched an independent public inquiry into allegations of foreign interference by China, Russia and others.