(TibetanReview.net, May31’24) — A China-originated network previously found targeting India and Tibet has been running fake social media accounts that incited the Sikh community internationally to target the government of India, Social media giant Meta has said. Meta owns and operates Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp.
Purported Sikh accounts on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, and X (formerly Twitter), which criticized the Indian government across at least seven countries, including India, were traced back to China, reported indiatoday.in May 30.
The report said Meta recently identified and dismantled over 60 such China-linked entities, including accounts, pages, and groups that disseminated and amplified coordinated inauthentic information in the lead-up to India’s general elections this year.
“This network originated in China and targeted the global Sikh community, including in Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, the UK, and Nigeria,” Meta has reported.
While Meta has removed these accounts, some of these accounts on X, with certain profiles being withheld in India, are still operational in other jurisdictions, the report said.
The identified accounts were stated to have posted artificially manipulated media to incite pro-Khalistan protests in several countries.
A typical example was stated of an account in the name of one Adya Singh, who portrayed herself as a Punjabi girl with a UK education, living in Delhi, and deeply passionate about Sikh heritage, language, and culture, and an outspoken critic of the Indian government. Her social media posts often called for the US to “support Khalistan to counter Indian hegemony”. However, in reality, Adya Singh did not exist. This account was part of a network of fake profiles linked to China, the report said.
These accounts were also stated to have used Artificial Intelligence (AI), often posting in Hindi and English, urging Western action against the Indian government, especially following the killing of Canada-based pro-Khalistan figure Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was a wanted fugitive in India.
“They appeared to have created a fictitious activist movement called Operation K, which called for pro-Sikh protests, including in New Zealand and Australia,” Meta was stated to have disclosed.