Ore Else
Spamouflage Targets Chile’s Copper Smuggling Coverage
Overview
On April 8, 2026, the Chilean Investigative Police executed “Operation High Voltage” (Operación Alto Voltaje), which dismantled the largest copper smuggling ring in Chile’s history. The operation resulted in 49 raids, 25 arrests, and the seizure of 187 tons of copper, according to Chilean customs. The investigation also implicated Chinese buyers in the smuggling of stolen copper. Rare earth- and mineral-focused outlets, as well as mainstream Chilean and global outlets, covered the operation extensively throughout April. China’s influence apparatus also took notice.
In June, we observed through Graphika’s intelligence monitoring that the Chinese state-linked influence operation Spamouflage – a sprawling network of inauthentic accounts – began pushing back, attempting to discredit the investigation and levying serious, yet unfounded, allegations against the journalists who covered it. Graphika has monitored Spamouflage (also tracked as Dragonbridge, Taizi Flood, and Empire Dragon) since 2019, closely following the tactics it uses to spread pro-China and anti-Western narratives across dozens of social media platforms. This report examines the tactics, techniques, and procedures used by Spamouflage-linked accounts in an online campaign to discredit Operation High Voltage and smear the journalists reporting on it.
Key Findings
AI-Generated Discrediting Campaign
Starting on June 25, 2026, 62 Spamouflage-linked accounts on Facebook, Parler, Tumblr, and YouTube began discussing and discrediting Operation High Voltage through posting almost certainly AI-generated text and images, including still images used in videos.
Targeting Chilean Journalists
The accounts attempted to shift blame away from China and levied serious journalistic and personal misconduct allegations against six journalists working for Chilean outlets, five of whom had reported on the smuggling ring.
Shift Toward Foreign Media
While Spamouflage has historically targeted ethnically Chinese individuals, this activity reflects a new inclination to harass and discredit foreign journalists and media outlets that are perceived as portraying China in a negative light.
Lili Turner specializes in tracking and analyzing Chinese influence operations targeting global audiences and democratic processes. Additionally, she has expertise in tracking AI-enabled inauthentic behavior, platform abuse, and nation-state cyber threats. At Graphika, she has led investigations into networks of fake news domains and threats to commercial interests.
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The full report includes the complete network graph maps, raw attribution indicators, cross-platform topology analysis, and the full takedown timeline with platform-level data.
- Full network graph visualizations
- Attribution indicators with confidence scores
- Raw behavioral modeling data
- Takedown coordination timeline
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