6 China, Iran-Based Operations Trying To Influence Midterm Elections Shut Down By Twitter

The networks of a number of China- and Iran-based operations attempting to influence the upcoming U.S. midterm elections were shut down by Twitter, according to a report.

The six networks were “amplifying politically polarizing topics,” including conspiracies about the 2020 presidential elections being rigged and criticism of members of the transgender community, The Washington Post reported, citing data received from Twitter.

At least three networks taken down by Twitter were based in China but purported to be located in the United States, the report said. One of the networks included 22 user accounts that tweeted over 250,000 posts that were generally pro-Trump or promoted conspiracy theories.

One China-based account, which went by the name Ultra MAGA BELLA Hot Babe, posted a tweet claiming that former President Barack Obama is a “lizard person who is a member of the Illuminati.” The Washington Post saw a copy of the tweet archived by the Internet Archive.

Twitter also removed three Iran-based networks claiming to be based in the U.S. At least one of the Iran-based accounts, specifically 10Votes81, also endorsed local candidates, according to the report.

Twitter added that the accounts mostly operated between April and October. However, the company noted that it is not associating the activity with any specific governments.

Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said Beijing is not behind the suspended accounts, adding that they do not have the “slightest interest” in interfering with the U.S. midterm election.

“Such accusations are completely fictitious and made out of thin air, and the Chinese side firmly objects to them,” Pengyu said, as quoted by the news outlet. “China upholds the principle of non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs and we have not the slightest interest to interfere in the U.S. election.”

Twitter’s recent takedowns of the networks come after Facebook‘s parent company Meta in September announced it had disrupted and taken down a pair of “influence operations” run by China and Russia. The networks initially promoted gun laws and reproductive rights. They later promoted gun rights and anti-abortion views. Some of the posts also criticized President Joe Biden, as per The New York Times.