On March 7, a Chinese blogger living in Canada described what he believes to be a coordinated online attack by Chinese Communist Party (CCP)–linked “internet trolls” targeting his account on the social media platform X. According to the blogger, the tactic does not involve directly banning accounts but instead exploits weaknesses in the platform’s recommendation algorithm to restrict the reach of targeted users.
The blogger, who posts under the account name “Finding心归何处,” began operating the account in January 2026 and gradually gained followers by sharing personal experiences after leaving China and commenting on political issues. His follower count grew from about 2,800 on February 14 to 7,800 by March 7, with some posts reaching as many as 870,000 views. However, he soon noticed suspicious activity and described the alleged attack as unfolding in three stages. First, large numbers of bot accounts with no profile photos, posts, or followers suddenly followed him. Second, these accounts remained in his follower list for a period of time, potentially causing the platform’s algorithm to associate his account with a low-quality social network profile. Third, when his politically sensitive posts began gaining traction, the same accounts simultaneously unfollowed and blocked him, often during Beijing working hours.
The blogger argues that this coordinated activity manipulates the platform’s recommendation system. When many followers abruptly leave while a post is trending, the algorithm may interpret the content as offensive or misleading, triggering automated mechanisms that limit further distribution to new users. In addition, large numbers of blocks within a short period can reduce an account’s credibility score and may even place it in a search blacklist, making it difficult for others to locate the account. Because unfollowing and blocking are normal user actions, the tactic is difficult for platforms to classify as malicious behavior. A well-known political commentator also said he has observed similar tactics for years and believes CCP has studied platform algorithms to suppress anti-CCP voices while simultaneously amplifying pro-government narratives.
Source: Epoch Times, February 28, 2026
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/26/2/27/n14707579.htm