The Monthly Roundup: Daria Impiombato on the influencers fueling state-backed info ops
ASPI Cyber, Technology & Security China Analyst Daria Impiombato on the growing number of influencers caught up in state-backed information campaigns + her top picks from the Digest this month.
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Welcome to the second edition of The Daily Cyber & Tech Digest Monthly Update! Each month, an ASPI expert will share their top news picks and provide their own take on one key story. This month, Daria Impiombato, China analyst at ASPI CTS, shares her take.
Influencers are becoming key players in state-backed information campaigns
In last month’s roundup, Bethany Allen shed light on the escalating cybersecurity threats to the U.S. Presidential election. Those stories continued to dominate the cyber & tech news cycle well into September, culminating in the U.S. government’s announcement of a plan to counter foreign influence, particularly from Russia.
But this month, a lot more attention has been focused on the people involved, either wittingly or unwittingly, in foreign information campaigns from a wider range of state actors. A recent notice issued by the US Department of State highlighted how Russia’s state media outlet, RT, covertly recruits and pays social media personalities to spread content worldwide while masking RT’s involvement.
Intelligence agencies see the targeting of well-established social media influencers as one of Russia's go-to tactics for enhancing the credibility and impact of their operations. But it’s rare to find such a clear-cut case of direct financial ties between state actors and influencers, leading to formal charges and sanctions. In this case, the influencers were paid via Tenet Media, a far-right outlet identified as a Kremlin front by the U.S. Department of Justice. The influencers have claimed to be unaware of the Kremlin links (if you want to find out more about them, jump down to the must reads).
More often, the lines connecting state actors to influencers are blurred, and the ways in which states coopt people to push their interests overseas can be more covert and difficult to detect. This makes it challenging for governments to address, especially as it requires collaboration with social media platforms. In this case, YouTube was the first to act and take down the right-wing channels involved, followed much later by Meta and TikTok.
But will the same treatment be applied to other state-backed influence operations, such as those by China? At ASPI, we’ve long studied these tactics and published a trilogy of reports breaking down the Chinese Communist Party’s greater strategy to harness technology and social media, including the use of influencers. This month, influencers promoting pro-CCP content—especially those posting propaganda about Xinjiang—once again made headlines globally. Some were even coming from Taiwan, where the Chinese government has directly invited people to visit the troubled region. In response, Taiwan has issued travel warnings, a measure that other governments might want to consider as well.
Although there are parallels between Russian and Chinese influence operations—like impersonating real Americans online—China's approach is unique. For one, the government has always been very open about their attempts to use influencers for its propaganda efforts, unlike the Russians who deny their involvement. But at the same time, the multiple layers of incentives behind the production of this type of content make Beijing’s effort very difficult to detect.
As I mentioned to The Telegraph’s Nicola Smith this month, who recently reported on the rise of British influencers sharing CCP-aligned content, influencers with large platforms have a responsibility to be informed and skeptical when producing content in regions like Xinjiang. Likewise, as I wrote in The Strategist recently, democratic governments need to work more directly with influencers to expand public awareness and promote transparency—not allow authoritarian regimes to control the conversation.
My must-reads
This piece offers a closer look at far-right influencers like Lauren Chen, who became entangled in Russian influence efforts. Eviane Leidig, author of Women of the Far Right, notes how figures like Chen are part of a broader conservative ecosystem pushing aligned agendas on issues like immigration and LGBTQ+ rights.
This piece offers a good example of government action from Taiwan, and something more governments should be grappling with especially given the growing number of visa-free travel allowances issued by China.
‘It’s not a solution for teen girls like me’: Instagram’s new under-18 rules met with skepticism (The Guardian)
In this article, teenage users express concerns over Instagram’s new rules for minors, with influencers playing a significant role in shaping young people's perceptions of themselves and the world around them.
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