'There is no national lockdown': United States alleges China's role in fake news spread
US President Donald Trump meets with China's President Xi Jinping
Chinese agents are amplifying fake news in America and causing panic. Last month, posts like these went viral in the United States.
The coronavirus was quickly spreading. Several people received this message. It says America will go into a "mandatory quarantine" or a "national lockdown".
There are several versions of this message. But, all of them say pretty much the same thing. There will be a lockdown in the United States, enforced by the military.
Stock up on what you need. And a request to forward the message to friends and family.
The message spread like wildfire. Americans would understand the full import of this idiom.
On March 16, the US National Security Council put out a tweet.
They clearly said there will be "no national lockdown".
The top national security body of the US president had to step in to handle a case of fake news. That's how serious the issue had become. The situation was alarming.
US intelligence agencies launched an investigation. On Wednesday, the New York Times published this story.
American officials have evidence to believe that Chinese agents were involved. They pushed misinformation and fake news on different platforms.
The source or the origin of disinformation is not yet clear.
But, American officials believe that Chinese operatives amplified fake messages. And this is what triggered panic among American citizens.
The United States is a regular target of disinformation campaigns now. The Cambridge Analytica scandal exposed how social media platforms can be compromised and misused.
But, this campaign was much more sophisticated. Reports suggest Chinese agents used text messages and encrypted messaging apps.
Applications like WhatsApp. Since they are encrypted it's much harder for intelligence agencies to track them.
China has denied these charges. They called the report "complete nonsense". The United States and China are locked in an information war.
America blames china for supplying "bad information" and China is hitting back with some rather crude remarks.
In China's case, its actions to cover up the coronavirus outbreak certainly speak much louder than all the stories it's spinning.