www.npr.org Open in urlscan Pro
2600:1400:d::1721:ee20  Public Scan

Form analysis
1 forms found in the DOM

Name: rbuForm —

<form class="reasons-form" name="rbuForm" id="rbuForm">
  <div class="reasons-list" id="reasonsList"></div>
  <div class="form-action">
    <input type="submit" value="Report" class="submit" id="reportButton" disabled="">
  </div>
</form>

Text Content

Accessibility links
 * Skip to main content
 * Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

Play Live Radio
 * Hourly News
 * Listen Live
 * Playlist

 * Open Navigation Menu
 * 
 * 
 * Newsletters
 * Sign In
 * NPR Shop
 * Donate

Close Navigation Menu
 * Home
 * News Expand/collapse submenu for News
   * National
   * World
   * Politics
   * Business
   * Health
   * Science
   * Climate
   * Race
 * Culture Expand/collapse submenu for Culture
   * Books
   * Movies
   * Television
   * Pop Culture
   * Food
   * Art & Design
   * Performing Arts
   * Life Kit
   * Gaming
 * Music Expand/collapse submenu for Music
   * Tiny Desk
   * Hip-Hop 50
   * All Songs Considered
   * Music Features
   * Live Sessions
 * Podcasts & Shows Expand/collapse submenu for Podcasts & Shows
   Daily
    * Morning Edition
    * Weekend Edition Saturday
    * Weekend Edition Sunday
    * All Things Considered
    * Fresh Air
    * Up First
   
   Featured
    * The NPR Politics Podcast
    * Throughline
    * Trump's Trials
    * Wild Card with Rachel Martin
   
    * More Podcasts & Shows

 * Search
 * Newsletters
 * Sign In
 * NPR Shop

 * 
 * Tiny Desk
 * Hip-Hop 50
 * All Songs Considered
 * Music Features
 * Live Sessions

 * About NPR
 * Diversity
 * Support
 * Careers
 * Press
 * Ethics

China's efforts to sway the U.S. are bigger than TikTok Intelligence officials
and lawmakers describe the Chinese-owned social media app as a national security
threat. But they haven't shared that evidence with the public.
Special Series


UNTANGLING DISINFORMATION


CHINA'S INFLUENCE OPERATIONS AGAINST THE U.S. ARE BIGGER THAN TIKTOK

April 26, 20245:00 AM ET
Heard on Morning Edition

Shannon Bond

CHINA'S INFLUENCE OPERATIONS AGAINST THE U.S. ARE BIGGER THAN TIKTOK

Listen· 3:383-Minute ListenPlaylist
Toggle more options
 * Download
 * Embed
   Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1247347363/1247405996"
   width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded
   audio player">
 * Transcript

Enlarge this image

A newly signed law requires that the Chinese-owned TikTok app be sold to satisfy
national security concerns. Joe Raedle/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Joe Raedle/Getty Images


A newly signed law requires that the Chinese-owned TikTok app be sold to satisfy
national security concerns.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

A new law passed this week would ban TikTok in the United States unless
ByteDance, its Chinese owner, sells the popular video app.

National security is at the heart of bipartisan concerns in Washington
motivating the law. Lawmakers say they're worried the Chinese government could
lean on ByteDance in order to use TikTok to suck up Americans' data, surveil
them, and spread false and misleading claims to U.S. voters.


TECHNOLOGY


PRESIDENT BIDEN SIGNS LAW TO BAN TIKTOK NATIONWIDE UNLESS IT IS SOLD

"It's not hard to imagine how a platform that facilitates so much commerce,
political discourse and social debate could be covertly manipulated to serve the
goals of an authoritarian regime," Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said this week.

Many lawmakers who supported the bill said classified intelligence briefings
have raised alarms about TikTok — but have not yet made that information
available for public scrutiny. Some members of Congress have pushed back,
including Sen. Edward Markey of Massachusetts, who said while he has concerns
about many social networks' collection of user data, he had seen "no credible
evidence" that TikTok presents a threat just because its parent company is based
in China.

Sponsor Message



So what do we know about China's efforts to manipulate Americans using social
media, and what role does TikTok play?


CHINA'S GROWING INFORMATION OPERATIONS

While much of the discussion about foreign interference in elections has focused
on Russia since 2016, China presents a growing threat, according to the
intelligence community, tech companies and independent researchers.


UNTANGLING DISINFORMATION


META WARNS THAT CHINA IS STEPPING UP ITS ONLINE SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCE
OPERATIONS

Beijing has stepped up its online information operations in recent years in
support of its broader goals, experts say. China "aims to sow doubts about U.S.
leadership, undermine democracy, and extend Beijing's influence," the Office of
the Director of National Intelligence wrote in its annual threat assessment
earlier this year.

In past cycles, that took the form of trying to shape U.S. policy toward China.
For example, in a handful of 2022 midterm races, Beijing sought to boost
candidates seen as pro-China and counter those seen as opposing its interests,
according to a December report from the ODNI.

More recently, those efforts have shifted to exploiting existing partisan
divides in the U.S. That includes "the Chinese actually going into U.S. audience
spaces, masquerading as Americans, and posting inflammatory content around
current events or social issues or political issues," said Clint Watts, general
manager of Microsoft's Threat Analysis Center.



Researchers at Microsoft as well as the nonprofit Institute for Strategic
Dialogue have identified accounts on X, formerly known as Twitter, posing as
Donald Trump supporters, attacking President Biden, and seizing on hot-button
topics such as immigration. Microsoft said some accounts even seemed to be
polling American voters on what issues divided them most.

"Joe Biden 'belongs in a nursing home' not the White House," one account posted
— but the post also included Mandarin characters, apparently due to an incorrect
browser setting, ISD said.


UNTANGLING DISINFORMATION


HOW RUMORS AND CONSPIRACY THEORIES GOT IN THE WAY OF MAUI'S FIRE RECOVERY

Other China-linked accounts used AI-generated images to spread a baseless
conspiracy theory that the U.S. government deliberately set last year's Maui
wildfires to test a military "weather weapon," Microsoft said.

Microsoft and ISD both linked the posts they identified to Spamouflage, a
long-running Chinese network of fake accounts across social networks including
Facebook, X and TikTok. Spamouflage accounts have previously pushed attacks on
pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong, praised China's COVID-19 response, and
posted videos with AI-generated news anchors promoting Chinese leadership.


UNTANGLING DISINFORMATION


META SAYS CHINESE, RUSSIAN INFLUENCE OPERATIONS ARE AMONG THE BIGGEST IT'S TAKEN
DOWN

Last year, Facebook owner Meta said Spamouflage is the largest covert influence
operation it's ever disrupted — and linked it to Chinese law enforcement.
Despite their breadth, however, these efforts have failed to gain many followers
or have significant impact.

"The vast scale of Spamouflage has previously been offset by its ineffectual
tactics and uncompelling content; if the operators find a strategy which works,
potentially augmented by generative AI, it could start to become a real
problem," wrote Elise Thomas, ISD senior analyst.

TikTok has been used in these publicly identified Chinese operations, but
researchers say they have not seen a particular focus on the app that goes
beyond other popular platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. (TikTok
is also difficult for researchers to access.)

Enlarge this image

Election workers in Taipei, Taiwan, inspect boxes containing ballots as counting
got underway on Jan. 13, 2024. China unsuccessfully sought to influence Taiwan's
elections via social media, including TikTok. Annabelle Chih/Getty Images hide
caption

toggle caption
Annabelle Chih/Getty Images


Election workers in Taipei, Taiwan, inspect boxes containing ballots as counting
got underway on Jan. 13, 2024. China unsuccessfully sought to influence Taiwan's
elections via social media, including TikTok.

Annabelle Chih/Getty Images


CHINA'S INFORMATION CAMPAIGN AGAINST TAIWAN

One place where China has more aggressively attempted to use TikTok to influence
politics is Taiwan, which held its own presidential election in January.



As in the U.S., China's goal is to undermine democracy, said Chihhao Yu,
co-director of the Taiwan Information Environment Research Center (IORG).

He said the strategy is to "create an alternative worldview for Mandarin readers
in Taiwan, of course, but also around the world for Mandarin-speaking
communities."


WORLD


TAIWAN DEALS WITH LOTS OF MISINFORMATION, AND IT'S HARDER TO TRACK DOWN

Yu's group has found what it calls proxy accounts on TikTok and YouTube that
share videos identical to those posted on official state-controlled accounts on
Douyin, China's version of TikTok, without any disclosure of their origins.
Sometimes the videos even appear on TikTok before they are posted to the
official Douyin accounts.

"That is saying that the [Chinese government] does not necessarily need its
official footprint on TikTok to have an influence on TikTok," Yu said.

Other researchers in Taiwan have identified TikTok influencers who appear to be
using the same scripts to talk about divisive issues like migrant workers. Some
influencers who typically post videos about fashion and beauty posted seemingly
scripted videos alleging election fraud.

Still, there's no suggestion that the Chinese government was coordinating with
ByteDance in its use of TikTok influencers and proxy accounts.

And ultimately, these efforts to sway Taiwanese voters were unsuccessful: The
incumbent pro-independence candidate opposed by Beijing won reelection.

 * Facebook
 * Flipboard
 * Email






MORE STORIES FROM NPR

UNTANGLING DISINFORMATION

5 TAKEAWAYS FROM NPR'S REPORTING ON THE PURPORTED MATAMOROS FLYER

UNTANGLING DISINFORMATION

A FLYER IN HER NAME TOLD MIGRANTS TO VOTE FOR BIDEN. BUT SHE SAYS SHE DIDN'T
WRITE IT

UNTANGLING DISINFORMATION

GATEWAY PUNDIT FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY AFTER ELECTION CONSPIRACY DEFAMATION
LAWSUITS

UNTANGLING DISINFORMATION

AS IRAN ATTACKED ISRAEL, OLD AND FAKED VIDEOS AND IMAGES GOT MILLIONS OF VIEWS
ON X

UNTANGLING DISINFORMATION

THE GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCED WINNERS OF A CONTEST TO TELL REAL VOICES FROM DEEPFAKE
AUDIO

UNTANGLING DISINFORMATION

USING AI TO DETECT AI-GENERATED DEEPFAKES CAN WORK FOR AUDIO — BUT NOT ALWAYS


POPULAR ON NPR.ORG

SHOTS - HEALTH NEWS

WHY WRITING BY HAND BEATS TYPING FOR THINKING AND LEARNING

SPACE

THERE'S STILL A CHANCE TO SEE THE NORTHERN LIGHTS FROM LOWER LATITUDES

SCIENCE

THE FIRST PERSON TO RECEIVE A GENETICALLY MODIFIED PIG KIDNEY TRANSPLANT HAS
DIED

OBITUARIES

ROGER CORMAN, THE B-MOVIE LEGEND WHO LAUNCHED A-LIST CAREERS, DIES AT 98

SPACE

THE HUGE SOLAR STORM IS KEEPING POWER GRID AND SATELLITE OPERATORS ON EDGE

BUSINESS

WITH 'BLEISURE' AND FEWER WORKERS, THE AMERICAN HOTEL IS IN RECOVERY


NPR EDITORS' PICKS

BUSINESS

WHY INVESTORS ARE DOUBLING DOWN ON TRUTH SOCIAL DESPITE TRUMP'S HISTORIC
CONVICTION

WORLD

WHAT DOES THE DEATH OF A JAILED JESUIT PRIEST SAY ABOUT INDIA'S DEMOCRACY UNDER
MODI?

SHOTS - HEALTH NEWS

AS REPUBLICANS PROBE COVID’S ORIGINS, SOME SEE AN ATTACK ON SCIENCE; OTHERS SAY
IT’S LONG OVERDUE

POLITICS

VINTAGE TRUMP REMARKS AFTER CONVICTIONS RENEW DILEMMA FOR NEWS MEDIA AND VOTERS
ALIKE

HEALTH

7 SURPRISING FACTS ABOUT DREAMS -- WHY WE HAVE THEM AND WHAT THEY MEAN

CULTURE

HOW GRIEF TAUGHT AWARD-WINNING PRODUCER JACK ANTONOFF TO BE LESS CYNICAL

Special Series


UNTANGLING DISINFORMATION

READ & LISTEN

 * Home
 * News
 * Culture
 * Music
 * Podcasts & Shows

CONNECT

 * Newsletters
 * Facebook
 * Instagram
 * Press
 * Public Editor
 * Corrections
 * Contact & Help

ABOUT NPR

 * Overview
 * Diversity
 * NPR Network
 * Accessibility
 * Ethics
 * Finances

GET INVOLVED

 * Support Public Radio
 * Sponsor NPR
 * NPR Careers
 * NPR Shop
 * NPR Events
 * NPR Extra

 * Terms of Use
 * Privacy
 * Your Privacy Choices
 * Text Only
 * © 2024 npr




Sponsor Message

Become an NPR sponsor




COOKIE SETTINGS

When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect
information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or
your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to
provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow
certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the
services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find
out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You may
opt out of the sharing of your information with our sponsorship vendors for
delivery of personalized sponsorship credits and marketing messages on our
website or third-party sites by turning off "Share Data for Targeted
Sponsorship" below. If you opt out, our service providers or vendors may
continue to serve you non-personalized, non-"interest-based" sponsorship credits
and marketing messages on our website or third-party sites, and those
sponsorship credits and marketing message may come with cookies that are used to
control how often you encounter those credits and messages, to prevent fraud,
and to do aggregate reporting. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly
Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning
of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your
settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For
more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this
link.
Allow All


MANAGE CONSENT PREFERENCES

STRICTLY NECESSARY OR ESSENTIAL COOKIES

Always Active

These cookies are essential to provide you with services available through the
NPR Services and to enable you to use some of their features. For example, these
cookies allow NPR to remember your registration information while you are logged
in. Local station customization, the NPR Shop, and other interactive features
also use cookies. Without these cookies, the services that you have asked for
cannot be provided, and we only use these cookies to provide you with those
services.

SHARE DATA FOR TARGETED SPONSORSHIP

Share Data for Targeted Sponsorship

You may opt out of the sharing of your information with our sponsorship vendors
for delivery of personalized sponsorship credits and marketing messages on our
website or third-party sites by turning off "Share Data for Targeted
Sponsorship." If you opt out, our service providers or vendors may continue to
serve you non-personalized, non-"interest-based" sponsorship credits and
marketing messages on our website or third-party sites, and those sponsorship
credits and marketing message may come with cookies that are used to control how
often you encounter those credits and messages, to prevent fraud, and to do
aggregate reporting.

 * PERFORMANCE AND ANALYTICS COOKIES
   
   Switch Label
   
   These cookies are used to collect information about traffic to our Services
   and how users interact with the NPR Services. The information collected
   includes the number of visitors to the NPR Services, the websites that
   referred visitors to the NPR Services, the pages that they visited on the NPR
   Services, what time of day they visited the NPR Services, whether they have
   visited the NPR Services before, and other similar information. We use this
   information to help operate the NPR Services more efficiently, to gather
   broad demographic information and to monitor the level of activity on the NPR
   Services.

 * FUNCTIONAL COOKIES
   
   Switch Label
   
   These cookies allow our Services to remember choices you make when you use
   them, such as remembering your Member station preferences and remembering
   your account details. The purpose of these cookies is to provide you with a
   more personal experience and to prevent you from having to re-enter your
   preferences every time you visit the NPR Services.

 * TARGETING AND SPONSOR COOKIES
   
   Switch Label
   
   These cookies track your browsing habits or other information, such as
   location, to enable us to show sponsorship credits which are more likely to
   be of interest to you. These cookies use information about your browsing
   history to group you with other users who have similar interests. Based on
   that information, and with our permission, we and our sponsors can place
   cookies to enable us or our sponsors to show sponsorship credits and other
   messages that we think will be relevant to your interests while you are using
   third-party services.

Back Button


COOKIE LIST



Search Icon
Filter Icon

Clear
checkbox label label
Apply Cancel
Consent Leg.Interest
checkbox label label
checkbox label label
checkbox label label

Confirm My Choices




THANKS FOR REPORTING THIS AD


Secured By