A demonstrator chants slogans against China’s strict zero-tolerance COVID measures in Beijing, China. , Photo Credit: Getty Images
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China is witnessing protests against the lockdown as the country’s zero-covid policy has its citizens speaking out against the draconian measures. As protests spread to cities, China’s state-backed accounts are reportedly spamming the hashtag on Twitter, according to a Washington Post report.
For example, looking up “Beijing” in Chinese brought up several popular videos of protests and gatherings. However, judging by the latest tweets using the hashtag, the audience was exposed to adult services, explicit media and gambling portals. Many of the posters appeared to be bot accounts or very little authentic activity before the anti-government protests intensified.
Journalist Joseph Menn said in a tweet that “outed Twitter workers” are trying to fight a stream of spam involving Chinese language versions of the city names Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Zhengzhou and Lanzhou.
Zhengzhou, in Henan Province, is a major iPhone manufacturing center. There was a stir in the factory due to the protest. And violent clashes erupted days ago when hiring freezes, mass quarantines, employee bonuses, and thousands of workers were laid off as part of China’s zero-tolerance approach to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Protesters have attempted to share such videos online to raise awareness of their plight.
Following billionaire Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter in late October, the company’s staff of about 7,500 people fell to about 2,000 following mass layoffs and hundreds of resignations.
Activists and researchers warned that the sudden loss of manpower could affect how efficiently staff deal with mass spam and ensure access to critical information during anti-regime protests.