Google Blocks Thousands of Pro-China Fake News Sites

Google’s Threat Intelligence Group (TAG), in collaboration with its cybersecurity firm Mandiant, has uncovered a large-scale network of fake news websites operated by four different public relations (PR) firms that spread propaganda aligned with the interests of the Chinese government.

Dubbed GLASSBRIDGE, this network of PR firms has been creating and distributing inauthentic content globally to shape public opinion on key geopolitical issues. Since 2022, Google has banned and deindexed over 1,000 websites associated with GLASSBRIDGE from appearing in Google News and Google Discover for violating policies against deceptive practices and a lack of editorial transparency.

These sites pose as independent media outlets but push narratives that align with Beijing’s political agenda, including on topics such as Taiwan, the South China Sea, and COVID-19. It’s worth noting that this news came just weeks after reports revealed that North Korean hackers were using fake news to spread malware. “These campaigns demonstrate how private PR firms are being used to conduct coordinated influence campaigns,” Google said in a blog post. “By using these firms, the actors behind the information operations remain hidden, masking their role in spreading inauthentic content.”

The campaigns rely on news services to distribute their content, with two PR firms directly operating these services. The fake news network targets audiences in over 30 countries, including the United States, Australia, Germany, Japan, and Brazil, as well as Chinese diasporas around the world.

The four firms within the GLASSBRIDGE network are:

1. Shanghai Haixun Technology

Shanghai Haixun Technology is the most prolific PR firm on the network, with more than 600 domains linked to its operations now removed by Google. These sites target both English-speaking and Chinese-speaking audiences, as well as locations across Asia, Europe, and the Americas.

Haixun’s websites are often filled with repetitive, low-quality content that mixes irrelevant articles with pro-China stories. The firm has also been caught using platforms freelancers like Fiverr to hire social media accounts to amplify its messages.

In July 2023, Haixun’s influence campaigns were spotted infiltrating legitimate news outlets through subdomains hosted by its news services, Times Newswire and World Newswire.

2. Times Newswire and Shenzhen Haimai Yunxiang Media

Google researchers identified Times Newswire and its operator, Shenzhen Haimai Yunxiang Media, as key players in the distribution of pro-China propaganda. These entities were linked to the PAPERWALL campaign, a network of over 100 fake websites reported by Citizen Lab earlier this year.

These hoax sites, which spanned more than 30 countries, published a combination of fake local news, conspiracy theories, and smear campaigns targeting individuals critical of Beijing. Many of these articles were short, appearing briefly on sites before being removed to avoid detection.

3. DURINBRIDGE

DURINBRIDGE, another online PR and marketing firm, operates over 200 fake news sites. While most of its content consists of press releases and generic news stories, some is dedicated to spreading pro-China narratives, including articles related to DRAGONBRIDGE, a long-running influence operation tracked by Google.

These sites have also been used to promote politically motivated smear campaigns, such as targeting Taiwanese presidential candidates in the run-up to the election.

4. Shenzhen Bowen Media

Shenzhen Bowen Media controls a network of more than 100 fake news sites designed to cater to specific countries and cities. Articles are published in local languages, including French, German, Japanese, and Thai, to appear more credible to regional audiences.

The content often combines legitimate-looking local news with pro-Beijing narratives sourced from its own news service, World Newswire, which is also used by Haixun.

A bigger picture

This operation is part of a growing trend where nation-states contract influence campaigns to private PR firms, allowing for coverage. By using fake news sites instead of traditional social media disinformation, these campaigns can target audiences more effectively, tailoring content to local languages and issues.

Google’s move to block these websites from its news platforms shows that disinformation campaigns are a reality. For readers, the lesson is to critically evaluate news sources and verify information across multiple outlets./The Geopost/