Twitter deletes 170,000 Chinese propaganda accounts defaming Hong Kong and the US

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Social networking service (SNS) Twitter announced on the 11th (local time) that it had deleted more than 170,000 accounts involved in the Chinese government's propaganda campaign.

According to Bloomberg News, Twitter deleted accounts related to the Chinese government's disinformation propaganda aimed at attacking Hong Kong's democratization movement and undermining the reputation of the United States.

Among the more than 170,000 deleted accounts, 23,750 played a key role in spreading disinformation, while about 150,000 were analyzed to have helped disseminate disinformation.

Twitter stated, "Most of the deleted accounts were written in Chinese and spread narratives favorable to the Chinese Communist Party and distorted Hong Kong's political dynamics."

In response, Hua Chunying, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, rebutted at a briefing that day, saying, "China is the biggest victim of disinformation."

She added, "If Twitter really wants to do something for its credibility, the accounts that should be deleted are those that attacked and defamed China or cooperated in doing so."

She also said, "Many platforms are carrying disinformation about China, so there should also be Chinese opinions with an objective perspective."

Meanwhile, Twitter also announced that it deleted about 8,000 accounts suspected of being propaganda tools for the Russian and Turkish governments on the same day.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.