The Militarization of China's Internet Trolls

Today, the CCP relies on an expansive network of more than 20 million « network civilization volunteers » to serve as « an amplifier of positive online voices, a collector of online public opinion information and a reducer of negative voices on the Internet. »

They operate in concert with a professionalized corps of 2 million internet commentators, employed directly by Cyberspace Affairs Commissions (CAC) and Propaganda Departments nationwide.

Volunteers are supposed to « stop the spread of various illegal and harmful information on the internet, and contribute to the construction of a clean cyberspace. »

Each commentator team follows unique guidelines, but volunteers are generally asked to post between 1–25 comments per month and are governed by a merit-based point system that determines whether they may be promoted or fired.

The bottom line is that China's internet trolls are here to stay. And if the past twenty years are any indication, foreigners should expect the CCP's online influence operations to continue growing in size and sophistication, alongside the objectives of its public opinion war.

https://jamestown.org/program/a-different-kind-of-army-the-militarization-of-chinas-internet-trolls/