WASHINGTON — The long-running influence campaign known as Spamouflage is active ahead of the midterm elections, with accounts likely linked to China posing as U.S. voters and posting divisive content about U.S. politics, social issues and the elections, analysts say. In a blog posted on Friday, Graphika, a New York-based firm that tracks online networks, said it had identified Spamouflage-linked activity on X that closely resembles tactics documented in 2024 ahead of the U.S. presidential election. “The accounts post content questioning election integrity and the legitimacy of U.S. democracy,” the Graphika blog said. Intelligence and national security officials have long warned that Russia, China and Iran have run online influence operations targeting U.S. voters ahead of elections. China, rather than supporting one presidential candidate over the other, has focused its efforts on undermining confidence in elections, voting and the U.S. in general, observers have said. Liu Chang, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said in a statement that China “has never and will never interfere in the U.S. elections.” Darren Linvill, who co-directs Clemson University’s Watt Family Innovation Center Media Forensics Hub and has tracked Spamouflage activity, said there is “no chance it tips the balance in any real political conversation.” “Spamouflage is famously bad at mimicking real Americans,” Linvill said. “It’s outside their wheelhouse.” Rather, the network has been more effective in suppressing information, Linvill said, as the accounts linked to the influence operation “very frequently attack and harass members of the Chinese diaspora community” and are part of a wider effort by Beijing to silence views it dislikes. In its blog, Graphika said it identified an account that appears to have replaced a removed account that was linked to Spamouflage and has posted divisive U.S. political content, including attacks on Democratic Party leadership during the U.S. government shutdown in October 2025 and criticism of immigration policy. Graphika flagged four accounts with a history of Spamouflage activity that now amplify MAGA-styled personas and another account with more than 200,000 followers that presents itself as a Philippine culture blog but now posts pro-China and divisive U.S.-focused content. Graphika said it could not determine whether the account was hijacked or whether the original operator sold or otherwise lost control of it. Didi Tang, The Associated Press
