When he first emerged on social media, the user known as Harlan claimed to be a New Yorker and an Army veteran who supported Donald Trump for president. Harlan said he was 29, and his profile picture showed a smiling, handsome young man.
A few months later, Harlan underwent a transformation. Now, he claimed to be 31 and from Florida.
New research into Chinese disinformation networks targeting American voters shows Harlan’s claims were as fictitious as his profile picture, which analysts think was created using artificial intelligence.
The account was traced back to Spamouflage, a Chinese disinformation group, by analysts at Graphika, a New York-based firm that tracks online networks. Known to online researchers for several years, Spamouflage earned its moniker through its habit of spreading large amounts of seemingly unrelated content alongside disinformation.
It’s honestly catering to the lowest common denominator. Idiots who lack any critical thinking skills at all. Unfortunately my sister is one of them. She is constantly spamming misinformation on her Facebook wall. Whenever I let her know that what she posted is wrong/fake/made up she takes it down but like why were you so gullible to share it in the first place?
Have you noticed anything else strange about her lately? For example, does she claim your plate at dinner, or constantly fight with you about which part of the bathtub is her part?
That’s not your sister, you might be living with Xi Jinping.