TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Google has revealed that PR firms are spreading pro-China propaganda by presenting their stories as legitimate news content on fake websites and newswire services.
Google Threat Intelligence Group stated in a new report that it had identified four public relations firms as part of a pro-China influence operation called Glassbridge, active since 2022. The PR firms set up domains posing as independent, local news outlets to push content aligned with the Chinese Communist Party.
The four PR companies named by Google were Shanghai Haixun Technology, Times Newswire/Shenzhen Haimai Yunxiang Media, Durinbridge, and Shenzhen Bowen Media. Google said it has removed over 1,000 websites they operated appearing on Google News and Discover for deceptive behavior and editorial transparency.
Google threat analyst Vanessa Molter said, "These inauthentic news sites are operated by a small number of stand-alone digital PR firms that offer newswire, syndication, and marketing services.”
She added they pose as independent new outlets that recirculate articles from Chinese state media and government press releases likely commissioned by other PR agency clients.
The report did not confirm who hired these PR services. It believes the firms may be taking instructions from a shared customer who has outsourced the distribution of pro-China content.
The report said these inauthentic news sites are usually low quality and contain repetitive content. Publishing content in multiple languages, they are given innocent-sounding names such as Japan's “Ginza Daily,” Italy's “Milano Moda Weekly,” and South Korea's “Incheon Focus."
Article content has focused on Taiwan, South China Sea territorial disputes, ASEAN, Xinjiang, and the COVID-19 pandemic. The sites recirculate articles from the Global Times and other state-controlled media, mixing filler articles on local news, entertainment, and technology.
Newswire services are a tactic shared across all influence campaigns, the report said. Two of the four PR firms directly control and operate the newswire services, with Haixun being the most widespread.
These campaigns are another example of private PR firms conducting coordinated influence campaigns, the report said. "By using private PR firms, the actors behind the information operations gain plausible deniability, obscuring their role in the dissemination of coordinated inauthentic content,” Molter added.
However, legitimate news outlets have also unintentionally or intentionally published pro-China propaganda via international newswires. In July 2023, US cybersecurity firm Mandiant found that Haixun used Times Newswire and World Newswire to disseminate pro-China content on legitimate websites.
Furthermore, PR Newswire, headquartered in Chicago, and Media Outreach, headquartered in Hong Kong, have also released Global Times and state media content on the subdomains of legitimate websites. It is unclear what types of content these newswires are willing to limit or accept.
A Brookings report also showed that search engines may play a key role in China’s efforts to spread propaganda and shape public perceptions. Researchers tracked search engine results for terms linked to Xinjiang and COVID-19 over 120 days. They found that Chinese state-backed media produced 21.5% of the top results on Google and Bing, and one quarter on YouTube.
