Spamouflage

Google Threat Intelligence Group and Mandiant published a report on GLASSBRIDGE, an umbrella of four China-based commercial PR firms — Shanghai Haixun, Shenzhen Haimai Yunxiang, Shenzhen Bowen, and DURINBRIDGE — that operate hundreds of inauthentic websites posing as independent outlets from 30-plus countries. Google has blocked over 1,000 GLASSBRIDGE-operated sites from Google News and Discover since 2022, with DRAGONBRIDGE-aligned content — including signature attacks on Guo Wengui and Taiwan election narratives — identified on multiple GLASSBRIDGE properties.

Google Threat Analysis Group reported disrupting more than 10,000 instances of DRAGONBRIDGE (Spamouflage) activity across YouTube and Blogger in the first quarter of 2024, bringing the lifetime total to over 175,000 disrupted instances. TAG observed the operation experimenting with AI-generated news anchors and synthetic audio while targeting Taiwan's January 2024 election, US social divisions, and economic narratives, but found organic engagement remained negligible.

Microsoft Threat Analysis Center's April 2024 East Asia report described Storm-1376 — Microsoft's designation for Spamouflage/DRAGONBRIDGE — using AI-generated content at scale. The group circulated deepfake audio of Foxconn founder Terry Gou falsely endorsing a Taiwanese presidential candidate ahead of the January 2024 election (removed by YouTube), and during the August 2023 Maui wildfires pushed a 'weather weapon' conspiracy in at least 31 languages with AI-generated imagery. Microsoft assessed it as the first observed nation-state use of AI content to influence a foreign election.

Meta announced in its Q2 2023 Adversarial Threat Report the removal of 7,704 Facebook accounts, 954 Pages, 15 Groups, and 15 Instagram accounts attributed to Spamouflage in what the company called its largest single takedown to date. For the first time Meta publicly linked the operation to individuals associated with Chinese law enforcement, describing it as the largest known cross-platform covert influence operation in the world, active across more than 50 platforms and targeting Taiwan, the US, UK, Australia, Japan, and global Chinese-speaking audiences.

Graphika released 'Spamouflage Breakout', tracking the pro-Beijing influence network's pivot toward US-focused content between summer 2020 and January 2021. The report found Spamouflage produced more than 1,400 videos in the period, attacking President Trump, Secretary of State Pompeo, and after the inauguration the Democratic Party, while pushing the narrative that 'American democracy is not a model that any country should emulate'. Graphika noted growing persona sophistication but still limited authentic reach.