Canada said on Monday it had uncovered a massive online Chinese propaganda campaign, including “deepfake” videos aimed at discrediting and discrediting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Canadian lawmakers, AFP reported.

The campaign, which ran from August to September, was “linked to the People’s Republic of China” and also aimed “to silence criticism of the Chinese Communist Party,” said a statement from Canada’s foreign affairs ministry, according to Agerpres.

A botnet, software that performs automated tasks, left “thousands of messages” on the social media accounts of dozens of members of parliament, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre, accusing them of “criminal offenses” and ethical violations. “.

But nothing from what was observed “did not pose a threat to their safety or their families”, emphasized the Canadian ministry.

In late August, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, announced that it had removed thousands of accounts that were part of a major Chinese online propaganda operation.

An active campaign in the main social networks

According to a report published by Meta, the campaign was allegedly active on more than fifty platforms and forums, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Twitter (renamed X).

According to the company’s report, the network regularly published positive comments about China while criticizing the United States, Western foreign policy and “journalists and scholars” critical of the Beijing regime.

In particular, it targeted Taiwan, the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Japan, as well as Chinese-speaking audiences overseas.

Sino-Canadian relations have deteriorated sharply this year after allegations of Chinese meddling in Canadian elections and attempts to intimidate lawmakers led to the expulsion of a Chinese diplomat in May.