Twitter shuts Chinese accounts targeting Hong Kong protests

Twitter says it has suspended more than 200,000 accounts that it believes were linked to the Chinese government and a disinformation campaign targeting the protests in Hong Kong.

The company also says it will prohibit ads from state-backed media companies that have amounted to propaganda.

A senior Twitter official tells The Associated Press that both actions are part of a broader company effort to halt malicious political activity on the widely used platform. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of security concerns.

The accounts linked to the Chinese government sought to portray Hong Protesters as criminals who don't represent the majority of the semi-autonomous region.

The official says the Chinese accounts also spread tweets from fake English and Chinese news sites to spread disinformation.