On the internet, no one knows you're a foreign propagandist

Sometimes, the trolls are being paid to be trolls.

That guy you argued with on Twitter this morning could have been on the Chinese Communist Party payroll. Assuming it was a real person in the first place:

A sprawling network of more than 350 fake social media profiles is pushing pro-China narratives and attempting to discredit those seen as opponents of China's government, according to a new study.

The aim is to delegitimise the West and boost China's influence and image overseas, the report by the Centre for Information Resilience (CIR) suggests.

The study, shared with the BBC, found that the network of fake profiles circulated garish cartoons depicting, among others, exiled Chinese tycoon Guo Wengui, an outspoken critic of China.

Other controversial figures featured in the cartoons included "whistleblower" scientist Li-Meng Yan, and Steve Bannon, former political strategist for Donald Trump.

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Much of the content shared by the network focuses on the US, and in particular on divisive issues like gun laws and race politics.

One of the na…