City
Epaper

Twitter removes 936 accounts linked to China for 'sowing political discord' in Hong Kong

By ANI | Updated: August 20, 2019 05:45 IST

Twitter on Monday (local time) announced that it removed at least 936 accounts linked to a campaign by China that were aimed at "deliberately" sowing political discord in Hong Kong, which has been rocked by anti-government protests since June.

Open in App

Twitter on Monday (local time) announced that it removed at least 936 accounts linked to a campaign by China that were aimed at "deliberately" sowing political discord in Hong Kong, which has been rocked by anti-government protests since June.

In its blog post, Twitter said it disclosed a "significant state-backed information operation" and also suspended approximately 200,000 accounts.

"Based on our intensive investigations, we have reliable evidence to support that this is a coordinated state-backed operation. Specifically, we identified large clusters of accounts behaving in a coordinated manner to amplify messages related to the Hong Kong protests," it stated.

The tech giant also released an archive of offending tweets and accounts of the Hong Kong protests, noting that "covert, mpulative behaviours have no place on our service".

"They violate the fundamental principles on which our company is built. As we have said before, it is clear that information operations and coordinated inauthentic behaviour will not cease," Twitter said.

Hong Kong has seen 11 consecutive weeks of anti-government protests that began against a now-suspended extradition bill, which have since broadened to include calls for democracy, police accountability and the resignation of Chief Executive Carrie Lam, who is backed by Beijing.

In recent weeks, protesters and police had violently clashed with each other with both escalating their use of force, leading to a full-blown crisis in the Asian financial hub.

Hong Kong functions under the 'one country, two systems' rule and was handed back to China by Britain in 1997.

( With inputs from ANI )

Tags: Hong KongTwitterchinaCarrie Lambeijing
Open in App

Related Stories

InternationalBeijing Rains: 44 Dead and 9 Missing Due to Torrential Rainfall in China

InternationalTsunami Alert Issued in Parts of China After 8.8-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Off Russian Coast

National"Never Said Trump Was Lying, Didn't Mention China Even Once": Rahul Gandhi on PM Modi's Operation Sindoor Speech (Watch Video)

OpinionsAfter ‘Cloud Bomb’, ‘Water Bomb’ Now?

International‘This Might Hit You Hard’: NATO Chief Mark Rutte's Warning to India, China, and Brazil Over Russia Ties Amid Ukraine War

International Realted Stories

InternationalIsrael intends to take control of entire Gaza, says Netanyahu

InternationalIsraeli forces uncover missile launchers in Gaza cemetery

InternationalJerusalem and Tel Aviv make 'most favorite' cities list for 2025

International"India is strategic partner with whom we engage in full and frank dialogue" US State Department

InternationalTrump rules out trade talks with India amid tariff dispute