Graphika
Research Reports/Ants in a Web
GatedMay 17, 2021

Ants in a Web

Chinese businessman Guo Wengui is at the center of a vast network of interrelated media entities that have disseminated online disinformation and promoted real-world harassment campaigns.

Trust & SafetyInfluence Operations
The Graphika Team
The Graphika Team
Graphika Research Team
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  • Graphika has identified thousands of mostly-authentic social media accounts associated with this network which are active across platforms including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, Gab, Telegram, Parler, and Discord.
  • In the last year, this network has promoted harassment campaigns against anti-CCP Chinese dissidents, activists, and other perceived enemies in six countries. These campaigns have been linked to multiple violent incidents.
  • Foreign-born participants in Guo’s online and offline operations have been promised political asylum in the United States in exchange for participation.
  • Graphika has noted multiple instances of what appear to be coordinated authentic behavior, with real supporters posting with the singular purpose of amplifying Guo-related content.
  • The network acts as a prolific producer and amplifier of mis- and disinformation, including claims of voter fraud in the U.S., false information about Covid-19, and QAnon narratives.
  • Accounts in the network have used centrally-coordinated tactics to evade enforcement actions by social media platforms.
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The Graphika Team

The Graphika Team

Graphika Research Team

Graphika is the most trusted provider of actionable open-source intelligence to help organizations stay ahead of emerging online events and make decisions on how to navigate them. Led by prominent innovators and technologists in the field of online discourse analysis, Graphika supports global enterprises and public sector customers across trust & safety, cyber threat intelligence, and strategic communications, spanning industries including intelligence, technology, media and entertainment, and global banking.

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