Chinese Social Media Campaigns Successfully Impersonate U.S. Voters, Microsoft Warns

Chinese state-aligned influence campaigns are increasingly impersonating U.S. voters on social media platforms, according to a threat analysis report by Microsoft. These campaigns, affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party, have improved their engagement with target audiences and are using generative artificial intelligence to create visual content that attracts authentic users. Historically struggling to gain traction, these campaigns have become more effective since the 2022 midterm elections. Microsoft found evidence of Chinese influence campaigns on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. The report also highlighted similarities between these campaigns and a harassment campaign run by China's national security apparatus.