Right-wing disinformation ramps up on WeChat ahead of midterms, report finds
Disinformation is saturating the widely used social media platform WeChat and poses a growing threat to Chinese American voters in the November midterm
Disinformation is saturating the widely used social media platform WeChat and poses a growing threat to Chinese American voters in the November midterm elections, a new report says.
Hundreds of articles promoting right-wing disinformation, or misleading information disseminated with the intent to harm, have permeated the Chinese diaspora, according to the study released last Wednesday by the civil rights nonprofit group Chinese for Affirmative Action.
Among the most popular narratives to arise is that “election fraud is prevalent, threatening the very foundation of our democracy,” the CAA report said.
“We’re just so concerned,” said Jinxia Niu, the program manager of CAA's Chinese digital engagement initiative. “The whole space was dominated by this right-wing disinformation and weaponized for their own political agenda.”
Over the past five months, researchers found 320 articles that they categorized as “major” disinformation, defined as having more than 5,000 views on WeChat or having spread onto other platforms, including Twitter, YouTube and other Chinese websites. It’s no small matter, Niu said, as an estimated 60% of the Chinese American community actively uses WeChat.
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