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Canada warned on Monday (10/23) against China’s disinformation campaign, called “Spamouflage”. The campaign used a wave of fake posts and manipulated online videos to discredit Canadian lawmakers.

The Ministry of Global Affairs said in a statement that it had “detected a ‘spamouflage’ campaign linked to the People’s Republic of China.”

The hackers’ remote-controlled network, the department said, left thousands of messages on the social media accounts of dozens of lawmakers, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre, accusing them of criminal violations and ethical.

It began in early August and intensified in September, he said, with the aim of “discrediting and defaming targeted lawmakers” and “silenceing criticism of the CCP” or the Communist Party. Chinese.

China’s Foreign Ministry rejected the accusations on Tuesday, saying Ottawa was “misleading public opinion.”

The Canadian allegations came after tech giant Meta said in a security report in August that it had scrubbed thousands of Facebook and Instagram accounts that were part of a massive Chinese online spam operation.

Active on more than 50 platforms and forums, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and X, formerly known as Twitter, a Meta executive said the accounts were considered part of the “influence operation “most important” and most prolific secret. this world.

On Tuesday, China’s Foreign Ministry angrily rejected the latest accusations.

“The Canadian side has repeatedly claimed that China has spread disinformation targeting Canadian politicians, but it has never provided any evidence,” ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said.

“Canada is a country that creates and spreads disinformation,” he added.

“China urges Canada to respect facts and truth, stop spreading lies about China, and stop poisoning the atmosphere of bilateral relations and damaging our relations with its words and deeds.”

Relations between Ottawa and Beijing hit their lowest point this year following accusations of Chinese interference in Canadian elections and attempts to intimidate lawmakers that led to the expulsion of a Chinese diplomat in may. [ab/uh]