A China-linked online influence operation known as Spamouflage remains active on X ahead of the U.S. midterm elections, with accounts posing as American voters and spreading divisive content about U.S. politics, social issues, and election integrity, according to a recent report by research firm Graphika.
The accounts post content questioning the fairness of U.S. elections and the legitimacy of American democracy, Graphika said.
Old Accounts Shift to US Politics
One account, @speedysmm4547, which has about 13,700 followers, appears to be the successor to a previously removed account that Graphika linked to Spamouflage.
The original account interacted with pro-China influencers and a Chinese consulate account. Its successor began posting divisive U.S. political content in June 2025, including criticism of Democratic leaders during that year’s government shutdown and attacks on immigration policies.
A second group consists of four accounts with histories of Spamouflage activity that now amplify content from @JosiTaylorah, a persona with a MAGA-style profile and about 14,700 followers.
The account frequently posts about contentious U.S. issues, including mass shootings, immigration, and election integrity. Some of its amplifiers have sought to undermine trust in U.S. institutions and elected officials.
Graphika found that one account, @ghosolutions, previously posted images attacking Falun Gong and Chinese dissident Guo Wengui and reposted content from known Spamouflage accounts. It began amplifying @JosiTaylorah’s posts in 2024, often seeking to undermine trust in U.S. institutions and elected officials.
Another account, @jspexplorer, also previously posted material targeting Guo. Since August 2026, it has replied almost exclusively to @JosiTaylorah, often within 10 minutes of a post appearing.
The third group centers on an account called Coolture (@cooltureph_), which once focused on Filipino food and culture.
The account went dormant in August 2022 and resumed posting in late November 2024, several weeks after the U.S. presidential election. It then began publishing English-language, pro-China content before shifting almost entirely to U.S. political issues in 2025.
By Oct. 30, Coolture had about 201,600 followers. Its posts typically received only a few hundred views, however, despite its large following.
The account has published both pro- and anti-Trump content, opposed U.S. aid to Ukraine and American trade policies, and presented itself as an American voter. It also used an AI-generated video to portray the United States as an oligarchy rather than a democracy, casting doubt on the legitimacy of its political system.
Graphika said it found no open-source evidence establishing whether the account had been hijacked, sold, or otherwise transferred to new operators.
Three accounts that Graphika assessed with high confidence as linked to Spamouflage have repeatedly amplified Coolture’s posts. All three previously published content targeting Falun Gong, Shen Yun, or Japan. On Aug. 17, 2024, the accounts posted attacks on Falun Gong or Shen Yun within a 23-minute period.
Nine additional accounts suspected of being inauthentic have also repeatedly reposted and interacted with Coolture.
Chinese-Language Clues and Coordinated Activity
Graphika found that posts across all three groups contained full-width punctuation marks, a feature consistent with people typing English using Chinese-language keyboards.
Most engagement also came from accounts within the same networks rather than genuine users. SpeedySMM was an exception, receiving engagement from both authentic and inauthentic accounts, although Graphika did not quantify the genuine engagement.
Although most of those accounts failed to attract substantial attention in authentic election-related online communities, a TikTok video associated with the operation received 1.5 million views, Graphika reported.
Chen Ting and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
