That furious stranger arguing about the midterms on X may not be a voter, or even an American. According to the AP, the research firm Graphika says accounts likely linked to China’s Spamouflage influence campaign are posing as US voters on the platform, days before Election Day.
Here’s the thing: the goal does not appear to be picking a winner. Instead, it appears to be wearing down your trust in the whole process. That is the core of Spamouflage election influence.
What Graphika says it found about fake voter accounts
Graphika, a New York firm that tracks online networks, laid out its findings in a blog post on Friday. We could not retrieve that post, so what follows is as AP reports it. Graphika says the activity closely resembles tactics it documented before the 2024 presidential election.
The accounts post divisive content about US politics, social issues and the elections. In fact, Graphika says they post content “questioning election integrity and the legitimacy of U.S. democracy,” as quoted by AP. Taken together, these fake voter accounts form a China-linked influence operation aimed at American feeds.
The firm flagged several specific examples:
- An account that appears to have replaced a removed Spamouflage-linked account, again posting divisive US content.
- Four accounts with a history of Spamouflage activity that now amplify MAGA-styled personas.
- One account with more than 200,000 followers that presents itself as a Philippine culture blog but now posts pro-China and divisive US-focused content.
Graphika could not tell whether that last account was hijacked, sold or simply lost by its original operator. That detail is worth noticing, because an old account with a big following is a ready-made megaphone.
Why Spamouflage election influence matters
This is where the story gets less scary and more sneaky. Observers told AP that China has focused on undermining confidence in elections, voting and the US generally, not on backing one candidate. That makes this Spamouflage campaign a form of election disinformation that targets trust itself.
So the posts may not tell you who to vote for. Instead, they may just try to make you angrier, more cynical and less sure your vote counts. That works on any voter, in any party.
The good news is that these networks are not exactly masters of disguise. Darren Linvill, co-director of the Media Forensics Hub at Clemson University, told AP that Spamouflage is “famously bad at mimicking real Americans.” He also said there is “no chance it tips the balance in any real political conversation.” He added that accounts tied to the operation “very frequently attack and harass members of the Chinese diaspora community.”
In other words, the clearest damage may land on Chinese diaspora members who get harassed, more than on the election itself.
China’s denial and the open questions on this influence operation
Liu Chang, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said China “has never and will never interfere in the U.S.” AP’s earliest version said the embassy had not yet responded.
It’s worth keeping the wording straight. The accounts are described as “likely linked” to China. That is an assessment, not a courtroom finding.
Plenty remains unanswered about this China-linked influence operation. So far, we have not seen a response from X on whether it has removed the accounts. We found no statement from the FBI, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence or CISA on this specific finding.
And no one has put a number on how many people these accounts actually reached.
Foreign influence is not the only thing roiling politics right now. For example, North Korea answered Seoul’s offer of talks with about 10 missiles, and China’s AI stock bubble has already sunk 40% in four months.
How to spot election disinformation before Tuesday
Intelligence and national security officials have long warned that Russia, China and Iran run online influence operations aimed at US voters. This is not new. A September 2024 NPR report described a similar push of divisive messages from fake US voters.
The practical advice is old but still good. Be skeptical of a stranger’s angry post with no track record. Check a claim about voting against your state or county election office. And remember that the loudest account in your feed may not live anywhere near your town.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Meanwhile, watch for whether X acts on these accounts and whether any US agency weighs in. If you want other stories that test official claims, see how RFK Jr. let pharmacies make six unapproved peptides without FDA sign-off.
The fakes are bad at pretending to be us. The risk is that we start doubting each other anyway.
