Canada Uncovers Second Spamouflage Campaign Targeting Chinese Commentators
Global Affairs Canada today issued the following statement:
“Rapid Response Mechanism Canada (RRM Canada) continues to monitor a new “Spamouflage” campaign targeting several individuals based in Canada. The operation is a more extensive version of the campaign that Global Affairs Canada reported in 2023.
“Spamouflage has been publicly reported over a period of several years by technology companies and threat intelligence experts who have connected the activity to the People’s Republic of China (PRC). RRM Canada has been able to attribute this new campaign, including the bots involved, to the PRC with high confidence.
“As in 2023, this new campaign employs various tactics to intimidate, belittle, and harass individuals based in Canada who are critical of the PRC, including with the use of videos doctored through artificial intelligence (AI) and the release of private information about targeted individuals without their consent (“doxing”). This is the first known instance where a Spamouflage campaign used sexually explicit deepfake photos to target an individual in Canada.
“The most prominent tactic used in the campaign has been to create fabricated (“deepfake”) videos using AI to generate a likeness of a real person, which is then used to promote false narratives. These AI generated videos, which are intended primarily to undermine the credibility of a real person, are posted on YouTube and TikTok.
“The deepfake videos make fabricated claims about the Prime Minister of Canada, as well as other Canadian politicians and public figures. Spamouflage bots then place these deepfakes on publicly visible social media accounts belonging to various departments and agencies of the Government of Canada, multiple media outlets, and political figures, such as the Leader of the Official Opposition. On average, Spamouflage bots post between 100 and 200 deepfakes per day.
“Global Affairs Canada reached out to the victims of this new campaign and engaged with the relevant social media companies, which removed some of the content as it violated their policies and guidelines. New Spamouflage bots continue to be generated, however.
“Global Affairs Canada also raised concerns directly with the Embassy of China to Canada.
“The Government of Canada will be taking additional steps to counter the operation, including re-engaging with social media companies.
“RRM Canada will continue to uphold the strength and resilience of our democratic institutions by monitoring the information environment and by shining a light on threats to democracy.
https://www.canada.ca/en/global-affairs/news/2025/03/rapid-response-mechanism-canada-detects-second-spamouflage-campaign-targeting-canada-based-chinese-language-commentators-and-their-families.html