A group of social media bots controlled by Chinese entities is making efforts to influence voters in Alabama, Texas, and Tennessee, while also targeting Florida Senator Marco Rubio with negative campaigns, as per a recent study published by Microsoft on Wednesday.
This operation is seen as a coordinated attempt to interfere in down ballot races, where the fake accounts are attacking Republican candidates Representative Barry Moore of Alabama, Texas representative Michael McCaul, Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn, and Rubio.
The network of trolls has been spreading antisemitic messages, spreading corruption allegations, and promoting opposition candidates, according to Microsoft.
The group behind this is known as Taizi Flood, which has ties to China’s Ministry of Public Security, researchers claim. The targeted lawmakers have been critical of Chinese government policies in the past, leading to this campaign against them.
The Chinese embassy in Washington has not responded to requests for comments.
Among other things, the bots have criticized Moore’s stance on Israel and used antisemitic language. They have also accused Rubio of being involved in financial corruption.
The bots have supported Blackburn’s opponent while spreading rumors about her receiving money from pharmaceutical companies. In the case of McCaul, they have pushed narratives of insider trading.
Moore, McCaul, and Blackburn are all seeking reelection next month. Rubio, who is the vice chair of the Senate intelligence committee, is not up for reelection until 2028.
The Microsoft researchers have noted that the influence efforts have not resulted in high levels of engagement. However, specific metrics on the reach of these social media posts were not provided in the report.
A representative for Moore, Madison Green, acknowledged the campaign targeting them.
“We are aware that the CCP is antisemitic, so it comes as no surprise that they are targeting me and other pro-Israel politicians to create divisions ahead of the upcoming election,” Moore stated.
“China has made it clear that they will use all means, including cyber capabilities, to undermine democracy globally,” he added.
Representatives for the other three lawmakers mentioned in the report did not respond immediately to requests for comments.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for safeguarding the election from foreign interference, did not provide immediate comments on the matter.
(This article has been republished from a syndicated feed. Apart from the headline, no edits have been made by NDTV staff.)
