Canada says China-linked ‘Spamouflage’ campaign targeted lawmakers and PM Trudeau
- The campaign involved bots posting disinformation and propaganda on the social media accounts of members of parliament, including criminal accusations
- China-Canada relations turned icy in late 2018 when Canadian police detained Chinese Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou
The Spamouflage campaign, using networks of new and hijacked social media accounts to post bulk messages, took place in August and September, and targeted dozens of MPs from across the political spectrum, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
The messages included accusations against the MPs of criminal and ethical violations, a claim that Hawaiian wildfires were caused by a secret US military “weather weapon,” and deep-fake videos.
Meta uncovers covert pro-China ‘Spamouflage’ campaign critical of the West
“This campaign could discourage and make it difficult for MPs to carry out their duties and may dissuade MPs and diaspora communities in Canada from speaking out on issues which concern them,” said a foreign ministry report about the incident.
Ottawa has also accused Beijing of trying to interfere in its affairs through various schemes, including illegal police stations and the targeting of lawmakers. China has strongly denied all such allegations.
In September, the Trudeau government announced an independent public inquiry into allegations of attempted foreign meddling by China, Russia and others.
