TAG Bulletin: Q4 2021

This bulletin includes coordinated influence operation campaigns terminated on our platforms in Q4 2021. It was last updated on December 2, 2021.

October

• We terminated 9 YouTube channels and 1 ads account as part of our investigation into coordinated influence operations linked to Vietnam. The campaign uploaded conspiracy theory content in English and Korean. We believe this operation was financially motivated
• We terminated 4 AdSense accounts and blocked 22 domains from eligibility to appear on Google News surfaces and Discover as part of our investigation into a reported coordinated influence operation linked to India. The campaign uploaded a variety of news content in English to domains that were designed to look as if they were independent news outlets in various US states and European countries. We believe this operation was financially motivated. We received leads from the FBI that supported us in this investigation.
• We terminated 37 YouTube channels and 4 blogs as part of our investigation into coordinated influence operations linked to Sudan. The campaign uploaded content in Arabic that was supportive of the Sudanese military. Our findings are similar to findings reported by Facebook.
• We terminated 3 YouTube channels as part of our investigation into coordinated influence operations linked to Uganda. The campaign uploaded content in English that was critical of Ugandan opposition political parties. Our findings are similar to findings reported by Twitter.
• We terminated 3,311 YouTube channels as part of our ongoing investigation into coordinated influence operations linked to China. These channels mostly uploaded spammy content in Chinese about music, entertainment, and lifestyle. A very small subset uploaded content in Chinese and English about China’s COVID-19 vaccine efforts and social issues in the U.S. These findings are consistent with our previous reports.