Google Strikes Back Against Pro-China Influence Operation by Taking Down 1,000+ Fake News Sites

Google has recently launched a major offensive against coordinated disinformation campaigns with the removal of over 1,000 fake news websites linked to a pro-China influence operation known as GLASSBRIDGE. This operation, involving four China-based public relations (PR) firms, aimed to spread pro-China narratives globally, targeting audiences in over 30 countries, including the United States, Australia, Germany, Japan, and Brazil.

The four firms identified by Google as behind the GLASSBRIDGE network include Shanghai Haixun Technology, Shenzhen Haimai Yunxiang Media, Durinbridge, and Shenzhen Bowen Media. These entities were operating under the guise of independent news outlets but were, in fact, creating and distributing inauthentic content aligned with Beijing's political interests.

Shanghai Haixun Technology emerged as the most prolific player in this disinformation network, with over 600 domains linked to its operations already removed by Google. The firm targeted both English- and Chinese-speaking audiences, using low-quality, repetitive content mixed with pro-China stories to obscure their true intent. Its activities included the use of freelance platforms like Fiverr to hire social media accounts to amplify its messaging. 

Times Newswire and Shenzhen Haimai Yunxiang Media were also key players in distributing pro-China propaganda. These entities were tied to the PAPERWALL campaign, which involved over 100 fake websites reported by Citizen Lab earlier this year. These fraud sites spanned more than 30 countries, publishing a combination of copied local news, conspiracy theories, and smear campaigns targeting individuals critical of Beijing.

Durinbridge was another significant firm within the GLASSBRIDGE network, with over 200 domains, while Shenzhen Bowen Media operated World Newswire, a press release service used to place pro-Beijing content on legitimate news outlets' subdomains. This allowed the operation to piggyback on the credibility of established media brands. The content strategy of these fake news networks involved repurposing state media, press releases, and other material, often mixed with irrelevant filler articles. The aim was to push pro-China narratives on various topics, giving the impression of mass consensus and authenticity. However, Google's Threat Intelligence Group (TAG), in collaboration with cybersecurity firm Mandiant, uncovered this large-scale network of fake news websites, dubbing it GLASSBRIDGE.

Since 2022, Google has banned and deindexed over 1,000 websites linked to GLASSBRIDGE from appearing in Google News and Google Discover, citing policy violations related to deceptive practices and lack of editorial transparency. The search giant noted that this campaign shows how private PR firms are being used to conduct coordinated influence campaigns, providing actors behind the information operations with plausible deniability and obscuring their role in spreading inauthentic content.

This operation highlights the evolving tactics of influence operations, moving beyond social media to leverage pseudo-local news outlets for spreading disinformation. Google's efforts to combat this disinformation are part of a broader strategy to ensure the integrity of information available on its platforms, reflecting the ongoing challenge of dealing with coordinated disinformation campaigns in the digital age.

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