50 Cent Party, 50 Cent Army and
wumao are terms for
Internet commentators who are
reportedly hired by the authorities of the
People's Republic of China to
manipulate public opinion and
disseminate disinformation to the benefit of the governing Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It was created during the early phases of the Internet's rollout to the wider public in China.
The name is derived from the
allegation that commentators are paid ¥0.50 for every post. They create favourable
comments or articles on popular Chinese
social media networks that are intended to
derail discussions that are unhelpful to the Communist Party and that
promote narratives that serve the government's interests, together with
disparaging comments and misinformation about political opponents and
critics of the Chinese government, both
domestic and abroad.
In
October 2004, the local
CCP Propaganda Department of
Changsha started hiring
Internet commentators, in
one of the earliest known uses of
professional Internet commentators.
The
Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China now holds
regular training sessions, where participants are required to pass an exam after which they are issued a job certification. As of
2008, the total number of
50-cent operatives was estimated to be in the
tens of thousands, and possibly as high as
280,000–300,000. Every large Chinese website is instructed by the
Information Office to create a
trained team of Internet commentators.
A
2016 Harvard University paper found that in contrast to common assumptions, the
50 Cent Army consists mostly of paid bureaucrats who respond to government directives and rarely defend their government from criticism or engage in direct arguments. Around
80% of the analysed posts involve
pro-China cheerleading with inspirational slogans, and 13% involve general praise and suggestions on governmental policies. Despite the common allegation of the commentators getting paid for their posts, the
paper suggested there was
"no evidence" that they are
paid anything for their posts
[other than their being "paid bureaucrats, that is],
instead being required to do so as a part of their
official party duties.
According to
Foreign Policy, it indicated that a supposed "massive secretive operation" to fill China's Internet with propaganda has resulted in some
488 million posts carried out by
fake social media accounts, representing about
0.6% of the
80 billion posts generated on Chinese social media. To maximize their influence, such pro-government comments are made largely during times of
intense online debate, and when
online protests have a possibility of transforming into real life actions. The colloquial term wumao has also been used by some English speakers outside of China as an
insult or racial epithet against people with perceived pro-CCP or
pro-Chinese views, especially those who are of Chinese descent or are perceived to be Chinese.
Wumaos - 50 Cent Party - 21st C ..
A sprawling network of
more than 350 fake social media profiles is
pushing pro-China narratives and
attempting to discredit those seen as opponents of China's government, according to a new study. The aim is to delegitimise the West and boost China's influence and image overseas, the report by the Centre for Information Resilience (CIR) suggests.
Some accounts
repeatedly deny human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region, where experts say
China has detained at least a million Muslims against their will, calling the allegations "lies fabricated by the United States and the West". "The aim of the network appears to be to delegitimise the West by amplifying pro-Chinese narratives," said Benjamin Strick, the author of the CIR report.
Some profiles were created to post original content, while others only shared, liked and commented on those original posts, to help them reach a wider audience. This kind of activity is often referred to as
"astroturfing" because it is
designed to create the appearance of a grass-roots campaign.
Some of the accounts - spread across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube - use fake AI-generated profile pictures, while others appear to have been hijacked after previously posting in other languages. There is no concrete evidence that the network is linked to the Chinese government, but according to the CIR, a non-profit group which works to counter disinformation, it resembles pro-China networks previously taken down by Twitter and Facebook. These networks amplified pro-China narratives similar to those promoted by Chinese state representatives and state media. Much of the content shared by the network focuses on the US, and in particular on divisive issues like gun laws and race politics.
The study, shared with the BBC, found that the network of fake profiles circulated
garish cartoons depicting, among others, exiled Chinese tycoon Guo Wengui, an outspoken critic of China. Other controversial figures featured in the cartoons included "whistleblower" scientist Li-Meng Yang, and Steve Bannon, former political strategist for tRUMP. Each of these individuals has themselves been accused of spreading disinformation, including false information about COVID-19.
五毛黨 -
Wu Mao Dang - means 50 cent army, or 50 cent party, a term for Internet commentators who are hired by the authorities of the People's Republic of China to manipulate public opinion and disseminate disinformation to the benefit of the governing Chinese Communist Party, CCP. The name is derived from the allegation that such commentators are paid RMB 50 cents for every post. These commentators create
comments or articles on popular Chinese social media networks that are
intended to derail discussions which are critical of the CCP, promoting
narratives that serve the government's interests and
insulting or spreading misinformation about political opponents, both domestic and abroad.
Internet manipulation and propaganda |
Propaganda in China |
Propaganda techniques |
Public relations techniques |
Internet trolling |
Disinformation operations |
The Great Translation Movement (大翻译运动; Dà Fānyì Yùndòng) is an online
anti-war movement launched during the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. It seeks to
expose perceived pro-Russian, anti-American, anti-Japanese, and anti-Western sentiment and Chinese irredentism over claimed territories such as Taiwan and the South China Sea, as well as
racially discriminatory sentiments in China, the life in cities under lockdown due to the
zero-COVID policy and the policies of the
Chinese Communist Party (CCP) by
translating government propaganda and policies,
anti-Western public opinion and postings on life in the cities during lockdown found on the
Chinese internet and public announcements into other languages, including English, Japanese, French, Korean, and Spanish.
The Guardian has pointed out that the Great Translation Movement has been a
source for English-language speakers to understand the Chinese state media's reaction towards Russian invasion of Ukraine.
