Twitter kills 32,242 propaganda accounts, Russia, China, Turkey 'state-linked information operations'

Twitter today says they've removed tens of thousands of accounts engaged in propaganda, linked to Russia, China and Turkey. Or as Twitter put it, “new state-linked information operations”, and it says “all associated accounts and content have been removed.”

We’re disclosing new state-linked information operations to our public archive — the only one of its kind in the industry. Originating from the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Russia, and Turkey, all associated accounts and content have been removed. https://t.co/obRqr96iYm

— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) June 11, 2020

Here is the official Twitter disclosure report.

Also, read the Stanford report at cyber.fsi.stanford.edu.

From Bloomberg News:

The 23,750 accounts tied to China tweeted messages, largely in Chinese languages, that supported the government and spread “deceptive” narratives about Hong Kong’s political dynamics, according to Twitter, which said that most of the accounts were discovered before they gained much traction.

Twitter also disclosed 1,152 Russia-linked accounts that were part of a network promoting the pro-Kremlin United Russia party and attacking dissidents. The accounts were associated with a media site known as Current Policy that publishes “state-backed political propaganda within Russia,” according to Twitter. “A network of accounts related to this media operation was suspended for violations of our platform manipulation policy, specifically cross-posting and amplifying content in an inauthentic, coordinated manner for political ends.”

The final batch of 7,340 accounts primarily targeted domestic audiences in Turkey. They “demonstrated strong support” for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and amplified narratives promoting the ruling AK Party. The network, which appears to be associated with the party’s youth wing, contained several compromised Twitter accounts that were connected to organizations critical of Erdogan and the Turkish government, according to the social media company.

This is big. Twitter is removing accounts from China, Russia, others that are essentially trolling platforms pushing agenda, not unique individuals engaging in dialogue. Kudos to Twitter for identifying these accounts and taking them out. https://t.co/grcRpYGOYj

— JoeAm (@societyofhonor) June 11, 2020

Today Twitter announced a takedown of a network of 23,750 accounts attributed to the PRC , with technical indicators linking the operation to the network suspended in August 2019. SIO participated in the analysis. Report: https://t.co/2zQCbeHIjz

— Renee DiResta (@noUpside) June 11, 2020

Grateful for our team's work, focus, and for the collaboration with our partners at @ASPI_ICPC and @StanfordIO. Detecting and disrupting disinformation around the world is critically important to us all.

Full details on today's disclosure are on our blog: https://t.co/tknsvAetQB

— Yoel Roth (@yoyoel) June 11, 2020

Wow. And this is why being here, no matter how hellish it sometimes may be, is way better than being on Facebook. https://t.co/fzXq7EhQTd

— Elizabeth C. McLaughlin (@ECMcLaughlin) June 12, 2020

Fergus Hanson of @ASPI_org: “While the Chinese Communist Party won’t allow the Chinese people to use Twitter, it is happy to use it covertly to sow propaganda and disinformation internationally." https://t.co/dpD7vhpGWU

— Ellen Nakashima (@nakashimae) June 11, 2020

[via techmeme.com]