DOH exec wants anti-vax campaign of US Pentagon uncoveredBy: Faith Argosino - 1 day agohttps://globalnation.inquirer.net/239707/doh-exec-wants-anti-vax-campaign-of-us-pentagon-uncoveredMANILA, Philippines — Reports revealing the alleged secret anti-inoculation campaign of the United States (US) military, aiming to cast doubt about the safety of vaccines supplied by China in the country, must be probed and heard by the appropriate authorities, according to an official of the Department of Health (DOH).DOH Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo was talking about the special report published by Reuters revealing the alleged campaign by the US Pentagon during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.“The findings by Reuters deserve to be investigated and heard by the appropriate authorities of the involved countries,” Domingo told reporters on Sunday.The report claimed that the anti-vaccine effort began in 2020 and “expanded beyond Southeast Asia before it was terminated in mid-2021” and used “a combination of fake social media accounts on multiple platforms to spread fear of China’s vaccines.”“Through phony internet accounts meant to impersonate Filipinos, the military’s propaganda efforts morphed into an anti-vax campaign. Social media posts decried the quality of face masks, test kits, and the first vaccine that would become available in the Philippines – China’s Sinovac inoculation,” the report said.
Domingo, however, pointed out that “vaccination decisions among Filipinos are determined by their age, educational attainment, health insurance, employer requirement, high awareness of the disease, and a high level of vaccine confidence,” citing a study published under the scientific journal BMC Public Health.
A REUTERS INVESTIGATIONPentagon ran secret anti-vax campaign to undermine China during pandemichttps://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-covid-propaganda/The U.S. military launched a clandestine program amid the COVID crisis to discredit China’s Sinovac inoculation – payback for Beijing’s efforts to blame Washington for the pandemic. One target: the Filipino public. Health experts say the gambit was indefensible and put innocent lives at risk.By CHRIS BING and JOEL SCHECTMANAt the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. military launched a secret campaign to counter what it perceived as China’s growing influence in the Philippines, a nation hit especially hard by the deadly virus.The clandestine operation has not been previously reported. It aimed to sow doubt about the safety and efficacy of vaccines and other life-saving aid that was being supplied by China, a Reuters investigation found. Through phony internet accounts meant to impersonate Filipinos, the military’s propaganda efforts morphed into an anti-vax campaign. Social media posts decried the quality of face masks, test kits and the first vaccine that would become available in the Philippines – China’s Sinovac inoculation.Reuters identified at least 300 accounts on X, formerly Twitter, that matched descriptions shared by former U.S. military officials familiar with the Philippines operation. Almost all were created in the summer of 2020 and centered on the slogan #Chinaangvirus – Tagalog for China is the virus.“COVID came from China and the VACCINE also came from China, don’t trust China!” one typical tweet from July 2020 read in Tagalog. The words were next to a photo of a syringe beside a Chinese flag and a soaring chart of infections. Another post read: “From China – PPE, Face Mask, Vaccine: FAKE. But the Coronavirus is real.”
After Reuters asked X about the accounts, the social media company removed the profiles, determining they were part of a coordinated bot campaign based on activity patterns and internal data.The U.S. military’s anti-vax effort began in the spring of 2020 and expanded beyond Southeast Asia before it was terminated in mid-2021, Reuters determined. Tailoring the propaganda campaign to local audiences across Central Asia and the Middle East, the Pentagon used a combination of fake social media accounts on multiple platforms to spread fear of China’s vaccines among Muslims at a time when the virus was killing tens of thousands of people each day. A key part of the strategy: amplify the disputed contention that, because vaccines sometimes contain pork gelatin, China’s shots could be considered forbidden under Islamic law.The military program started under former President Donald Trump and continued months into Joe Biden’s presidency, Reuters found – even after alarmed social media executives warned the new administration that the Pentagon had been trafficking in COVID misinformation. The Biden White House issued an edict in spring 2021 banning the anti-vax effort, which also disparaged vaccines produced by other rivals, and the Pentagon initiated an internal review, Reuters found.The U.S. military is prohibited from targeting Americans with propaganda, and Reuters found no evidence the Pentagon’s influence operation did so.Spokespeople for Trump and Biden did not respond to requests for comment about the clandestine program.A Pentagon spokeswoman said the U.S. military “uses a variety of platforms, including social media, to counter those malign influence attacks aimed at the U.S., allies, and partners.” She also noted that China had started a “disinformation campaign to falsely blame the United States for the spread of COVID-19.”
Pfizerbros... it's over.
>>1304859>The U.S. military is prohibited from targeting Americans with propagandaThis was legalized years ago.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smith%E2%80%93Mundt_Act
>>1304868It was in the Philippines you non reading dullard
>>1304869https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Defense_Authorization_Act_for_Fiscal_Year_2013#Smith%E2%80%93Mundt_Modernization_Act_of_2012>The Smith–Mundt Modernization Act of 2012 passed Congress as part of the NDAA 2013 on December 28, 2012. Amendments made to the Smith–Mundt Act of 1948 and Foreign Relations Authorization Act of 1987 allow for materials produced by the State Department and the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) to be released within US borders. U.S. Congressman Adam Smith stated with respect to the bill's purpose that al-Qaeda was infiltrating the Internet in order to promote anti-Americanism and that with passage of the Smith–Mundt Modernization Act of 2012 the U.S. government would be able disseminate public diplomacy information by the State Department to counter that in the Arabic language abroad.
>>1304875What does that have to do with discrediting a Chinese vaccine in the Philippines?
>>1304877The author is lying to you, anon. Please use your critical thinking skills before sharing your ideas with the rest of the class.
>>1304881>it's a "i'm connecting dots" postergo back
>>1304882>the author is lying to you>why would that matter?Because they're lying to you, you fucking retard.You shouldn't trust liars. Because they cannot be trusted, definitionally.
