The disinformation dragon
Prior to the Hong Kong pro-democracy movement and the Covid 19 pandemic, China\u2019s presence on social media was largely to promote a positive image of its country \u2013 trying to \u2018change the climate\u2019 rather than seeking to sow confusion and division. But this is changing. In this investigation for Assignment Paul Kenyon and Krassimira Twigg examine China\u2019s new strategy of aggressively pushing disinformation on social media platforms through the use of \u2018wolf warrior\u2019 diplomats, internet bots, \u2018the 50-cent army\u2019 of loyal Chinese netizens and a longer term goal of inventing a new type of internet where authoritarian governments can control its users.
Editor: Lucy Proctor
(Image: Checking a smartphone, lit-up against a dark background. Credit:d3sign/Getty)