Officials say China spread virus disinformation

U.S. intelligence officials have reportedly determined that Chinese operatives helped spread messages that aimed to spark alarm about the coronavirus pandemic starting in mid-March.

The New York Times, citing six American officials across different intelligence agencies, reported Wednesday that the messages prompted the intelligence apparatus to examine the new techniques China, Russia and other nations are using to spread disinformation about the outbreak.

In particular, they were startled by the ability of the disinformation campaign to pop up in the form of text messages on many Americans’ cellphones, an amplification technique that some of the officials told the Times they had not seen before.

NSC forced to respond: Many of the messages shared a common theme in which the receivers were encouraged to share the warnings that President Trump was poised to lock down the country in a mandatory quarantine. The spread of the messages became so far-reaching that the White House National Security Council (NSC) publicly denounced the rumors as “FAKE.”

“Text message rumors of a national #quarantine are FAKE. There is no national lockdown,” the NSC tweeted at the time.

The messages often claimed that they heard from a close friend or family member who works at the Department of Homeland Security, the Pentagon or some other government agency that the government was preparing for a full-scale lockdown.

“I received a call very late last night from a source that works for Homeland security. He said that they are preparing to mobilize the national guard. Preparing to dispatch them across the US along with military. Next they will call in 1st responders. He said they are preparing to announce a nationwide 1 week quarantine for all citizens,” one of the messages read.