Russia Isn’t the Only Nation State Threat Actor: Keep an Eye on These Three Nation States

An Investigative Report – April 2022

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has come under international scrutiny for the treatment of the Uyghur ethnic minority within Xinjiang. Nisos researchers discovered a coordinated inauthentic network of 648 Twitter accounts, some dating back to November 2021, that aim to influence perception of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and the use of Uyghur forced labor in Xinjiang. Nisos researchers determined these coordinated inauthentic network accounts are attempting to both obfuscate negative messaging on the Twitter platform regarding Xinjiang and promote a positive narrative regarding Xinjiang and Uyghur treatment within the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The activity is actively targeting a foreign audience.

The coordinated inauthentic network is pushing the false narrative of opportunity and a positive livelihood for the Uyghur population within Xinjiang. It is also being used to deny foreign accusations of forced labor by the government within the region. The inauthentic network activity consists of positive messages and videos about life within Xinjiang and posts and videos denying the use of forced labor within the geographic area.

Nisos researchers identified approximately 2,803 original tweets posted by the 648 discovered inauthentic accounts. Furthermore, Nisos researchers identified approximately 1,136 retweets and 773 quotes by the 648 accounts.

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