A probable Beijing-directed disinformation campaign targeting Tory MP Michael Chong was inadvertently detected by Global Affairs Canada as the department was temporarily turning its sights inward to protect byelections against foreign meddling.
Global Affairs Canada (GAC) official Robin Wettlaufer told the Foreign Interference Commission on Oct. 4 that it’s “possible” the disinformation campaign wouldn’t have been detected outside an electoral period.
Wettlaufer is the director of the Centre for International Digital Policy within GAC, which houses the Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) tasked with monitoring state-sponsored disinformation. The RRM is normally focused on the foreign online space but directs its resources domestically when a general election or a byelection takes place….