How China’s TikTok, Facebook influencers push propaganda

By AMANDA SEITZ, ERIC TUCKER and MIKE CATALINI
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — China’s state media reporters are positing as travel bloggers and lifestyle influencers on U.S.-owned social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. They’re racking up millions of followers from around the globe. The Associated Press has identified dozens of these accounts, which are part of a network of profiles that allow China to easily peddle propaganda to unsuspecting social media users. The accounts operate in a number of languages and are targeting users around the world with Facebook ads. In recent weeks, the accounts have advanced Beijing’s talking points around the Winter Olympics, China’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims, and world affairs like Russia’s war against Ukraine.