The removal of thousands of accounts on Facebook and Twitter is the latest sign of Beijing's ambitions to shape the global narrative around the country.
In a notice posted early Thursday, the company said that it took action against two networks of more than 2,000 accounts that worked to undermine accusations of human rights abuses in the western Chinese region of Xinjiang.
Both networks promoted videos that were shot in the region that portrayed it as one of prosperity and freedom. A report released by the internet observatory states that one of the networks, which was attributed to the Chinese Communist Party, coordinated verbal attacks against activists and articles critical of China, while bolstering Chinese state media with positive comments and likes.
A June report by the New York Times and ProPublica identified a large number of accounts in the network.
The use of harassment and hashtags indicated an effort to crowd out critical/adversarial narratives, according to a report from the university.
In a statement released late Wednesday, Facebook said it had taken down more than 500 accounts after they helped to amplify posts from a fake Swiss biologist named Wilson Edwards who claimed the United States was interfering in World Health Organization efforts to track the origins of Covid-19. Chinese state media quoted the fake scientist's accusations.
The Swiss embassy in Beijing said that Wilson Edwards did not exist, and that his account on the platform had been created less than 12 hours before it began posting.
American social media companies are trying to push back against Chinese information campaigns. Although blocked in China, social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter are important ways to discuss China. Chinese diplomats and state media have been trying to build followings on the platforms.
