Indian Social Media Influencers promoting Chinese propaganda identified, security alert

Indian security officials have identified over a dozen Indian social media influencers and vloggers allegedly promoting Chinese government narratives, posing a potential threat to India's national security.

This information, gathered through intelligence inputs and constant monitoring, is currently being shared with the Union government.

The influencers, reportedly driven by financial benefits, have a massive following and are believed to contribute to a manipulative ecosystem run by Chinese state agencies.

This is perceived as a part of China's strategy to use foreign social media influencers to shape and disseminate preferred narratives. Some of the vloggers are believed to be sponsored by China, gaining access to restricted areas like Xinjiang and Tibet, and their content often focuses on pro-China narratives.

A report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute stated that since 2020, 156 Chinese state-controlled accounts have published numerous posts and articles amplifying Xinjiang-related content from 14 influencer accounts.

Indian security officials believe that constant scrutiny of content produced by these influencers is necessary to safeguard national interests and maintain the integrity of public information.