This bulletin provides details about coordinated influence operation campaigns that were terminated on our platforms in the fourth quarter of 2023. The latest update was on December 15, 2023.
October
- In October, we put an end to 8 YouTube channels related to coordinated influence operations associated with Iran. These channels were sharing content in Hindi and Arabic with anti-Israel narratives.
- We also terminated 14 YouTube channels involved in coordinated influence operations linked to Iran. The content from these channels was supportive of the Iranian government and was shared in Hindi and Arabic.
- Our investigation into coordinated influence operations linked to Russia led to the termination of 355 YouTube channels. These channels were associated with a Russian consulting firm and were sharing content in Russian that supported Russia while criticizing Ukraine and the West.
- Additionally, we terminated 13 YouTube channels and 1 Blogger blog connected to coordinated influence operations linked to Russia. This campaign shared content in English that was critical of Ukraine and the West.
- Furthermore, 6 YouTube channels, 1 Ads account, and 4 domains were blocked from appearing on Google News surfaces and Discover due to their involvement in coordinated influence operations linked to Russia. The content from these channels, associated with state-funded media, was in English, Italian, Spanish, and Polish, and was supportive of Russia.
- As part of our investigation into coordinated influence operations linked to Russia, 57 YouTube channels were terminated. The content from these channels, shared in Russian, Azerbaijani, and Turkish, supported Azerbaijani interests in the Nagorno-Karabakh region while being critical of Russia and Armenia.
- In relation to coordinated influence operations linked to Ukraine, we terminated 41 YouTube channels associated with the Donbass region of Eastern Ukraine. The content shared in Russian supported Russia and criticized the West.
- Furthermore, 90 YouTube channels were terminated due to their involvement in coordinated influence operations linked to Azerbaijan. The shared content in Azerbaijani supported Azerbaijan and criticized Armenia and critics of the Azerbaijani government.
- We terminated 21 YouTube channels and disabled 8 AdSense Accounts related to coordinated influence operations linked to Ethiopia. The content, shared in Amharic, addressed political topics in Ethiopia.
- Similarly, 40 YouTube channels and 1 domain were blocked from appearing on Google News surfaces and Discover due to their involvement in coordinated influence operations linked to Sudan. The content in Arabic focused on Sudanese news and politics.
- Moreover, our investigation led to the termination of 317 YouTube channels involved in coordinated influence operations linked to Turkey. The content shared in Turkish was supportive of a Turkish political party.
- Finally, as part of our ongoing investigation into coordinated influence operations linked to the People’s Republic of China (PRC), we terminated 3,785 YouTube channels. The inauthentic network mainly uploaded spammy content in Chinese about music, entertainment, and lifestyle. A small subset uploaded content in Chinese and English about China and U.S. foreign affairs. These findings align with our previous reports.
