A PrivacyMatters2u Report:
Russian and Chinese Tactics for
Weaponizing Social Media Against Americans
Digital warfare isn’t coming — it’s already here.
Russian and Chinese government-backed operations are exploiting social media to manipulate Americans, polarize our society, and erode trust in democracy. These foreign influence campaigns rely on sophisticated disinformation tactics that weaponize social media’s speed, scale, and lack of moderation.
In this special report, PrivacyMatters2U breaks down the top disinformation tactics used by Russia and China to influence Americans online and how to spot them.
Russian Disinformation Tactics On Social Media
Russia's digital influence campaigns are designed to exploit division, sow chaos, and manipulate public perception. Here are six of the most commonly used tactics:
1-Bot Networks and Troll Farms
Russia’s infamous Internet Research Agency (IRA) and related groups run massive networks of fake accounts pretending to be everyday Americans or independent journalists. These botnets and troll farms produce content amplifying divisive topics like race, immigration, protest movements, and elections. “Storm” cells like Storm-1516 create false stories targeting political candidates, exploiting hot-button issues, and deploying actors in staged videos.
2-The “Firehose of Falsehood” Strategy
This tactic floods the internet with a high volume of contradictory, misleading messages to overwhelm users, crowd out fact-checked content, and make it harder to find reliable information. The goal? Confuse, distract, and dominate the conversation.
3-Doppelgänger Websites
Russian actors impersonate trusted media organizations (Fox News, The Washington Post, NATO websites) by creating look-alike domains that appear authentic but publish distorted headlines, false stories about Ukraine, or anti-democracy propaganda; thus, fooling readers into thinking the source is legitimate.
4-Deepfakes, Artificially Generated Content
Russian operations increasingly use AI to create deepfake videos, manipulate audio, or scale the production of fake content.
5-Influence Infrastructure Across Websites
Russia maintains a network of interconnected websites that repeat and reinforce each other’s disinformation, making lies look like consensus. This creates the illusion of widespread support for propaganda narratives.
6-AI Data Poisoning
Disinformation can be embedded into large datasets that train AI systems and chatbots, influencing how future automated systems respond to questions about politics, war, or global events.
Chinese Disinformation Tactics Targeting Americans
China’s focuses on shaping global narratives, suppressing dissent, and boosting its own image while undermining Western democracy. These are five major tactics Chinese influence operations use:
1-Spamouflage / Dragonbridge Campaigns
These state-backed operations deploy networks of fake accounts impersonating real Americans to spread pro-China content. They comment on U.S. politics, foreign policy, and global conflicts while using manipulation disguised as grassroots opinions.
2-Suppressing Critics and Pushing State Propaganda
Chinese campaigns push narratives praising Beijing’s handling of issues like COVID or the economy, and simultaneously attack U.S. policies, media, dissidents, Hong Kong protests, or Taiwan independence.
3-Hijacked Accounts and Fake Personas
These networks frequently take over real accounts or create fake ones to make content appear organic. By mimicking real users, they build false trust before spreading disinformation.
4-AI Powered Cross-Platform Amplification
China uses AI-generated content and coordinates disinformation campaigns across Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Reddit, and often with coordinated bursts timed around news events.
5-Undermining Democratic Processes
China has been linked to campaigns that discredit elections or discourage voter turnout, particularly during U.S. midterms. The result? Increased skepticism, division, and apathy.
Why Russian and Chinese Disinformation Campaigns Matter
This repeated exposure to disinformation supplied by Russian and China makes people doubt reliable sources. Voter apathy, protests, or splits in public opinion can result from well-timed, targeted influence. Americans exposed to foreign disinformation may unknowingly become part of these campaigns by sharing posts, clicking on fake news, or echoing manipulated narratives. By reinforcing extreme narratives on both ends of the political spectrum, these operations increase polarization and directly weakens our democratic resilience.
What You Can Do To Protect Yourself from Disinformation
- Be skeptical of sensational headlines, especially those from unfamiliar sources.
- Check URLs carefully - fake domains often mimic trusted outlets.
- Don’t amplify unknown content even to debunk it.