RRM Canada — Open-Source Analytics to Detect and Publicly Attribute AI-Enabled Foreign Disinformation (Spamouflage)

Rapid Response Mechanism Canada (RRM Canada), a unit of Global Affairs Canada, uses open-source data analytics on social media to detect and publicly attribute foreign information manipulation, including AI-generated deepfake campaigns.
In August-September 2023 it detected a 'Spamouflage' bot network that posted thousands of English and French comments on the Facebook and X accounts of dozens of Members of Parliament, including the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader. After Global Affairs notified the platforms, they removed much of the activity and network.
In March 2025 RRM Canada announced a second campaign, running since 31 August 2024, that targeted Canada-based Chinese-language commentators and their families with deepfake videos, sexually explicit AI imagery and doxing. Bots posted an estimated 100-200 deepfakes per day, and RRM Canada attributed the campaign to the People's Republic of China with 'high confidence'. It contacted victims, engaged platforms (some content was removed for policy violations) and raised concerns with the Chinese Embassy.
Evidence is observational: detections and takedowns are documented by the government itself, but the 2023 G7 RRM annual report gives no detail on the analytical tools or detection thresholds, and the campaigns drew minimal engagement, so the effect on public opinion is not measured. Canada also leads the G7 RRM Secretariat, which shares the approach with G7 members and observers.

Read the full analysis: https://international.canada.ca/en/global-affairs/corporate/reports/rapid-response-mechanism/news/2025-china-spamouflage