Undermining unity: Disinformation as a threat to the Quad
Disinformation campaigns targeting the Quad, a partnership between Australia, India, Japan, and the United States, challenge its credibility. These campaigns, often state-linked, misrepresent Quad initiatives, exploit internal differences among its members and portray the group as warmongering. This erodes public trust in the Quad, heightens geopolitical tensions and complicates regional cooperation.
The origins of the disinformation campaigns are not completely clear, but it can at least be said that they suit the purposes of China and, perhaps, Pakistan.
The Quad promotes a free, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific by addressing challenges such as health, climate change, cybersecurity and infrastructure development. However, intensifying geopolitical tensions have exposed a fundamental limitation: the Quad’s reluctance to explicitly focus on security challenges. This strategic ambiguity makes the partnership vulnerable to disinformation campaigns. These campaigns often spread false or misleading information to manipulate public opinion, targeting the group and its members.
Two narratives dominate disinformation campaigns targeting the Quad. The first, and most persistent, frames the Quad as a security alliance formed to contain China. This stokes fears of open confrontation caused by Quad involvement in Indo-Pacific disputes, such as the South China Sea and Taiwan.
To support the false narrative, evidence is often fabricated. For instance, in September 2024 an image of a 2017 US-Japan military drill was falsely presented as a standoff between Chinese and US vessels in the South China Sea. The image (below) was used as a thumbnail for a video claiming that the Quad was preparing for military confrontation with China in the South China Sea. The video, which was viewed almost 200,000 times, was posted on a channel that had repeatedly shared misinformation.
The second dominant narrative exploits political and interpersonal differences among Quad members to sow discord. Some campaigns highlight strategic divergences, such as India’s historical non-alignment, Australia’s rebuilding of economic ties with China and Japan’s pacifist stance. Others target relationships between leaders. For example, during the September 2024 Quad summit, a video doctored to depict then US president Joe Biden showing disrespect to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi circulated widely. It was aimed at inflaming anti-US sentiment in India.
Disinformation campaigns also exploit issues that indirectly weaken the Quad’s cohesion. Immigration has been used as a wedge issue, with false claims circulating that US President Donald Trump planned to deport 18,000 illegal Indian immigrants as soon as he was inaugurated. Media monitoring revealed that accounts such as @PSYWAROPS (below), which predominately follows Pakistani sources, shared pieces of false information to strain US-India relations and undermine India’s domestic confidence in the partnership.
Health security, a central focus of Quad cooperation, has also been targeted by disinformation. Japan has been falsely accused of labelling mRNA Covid-19 vaccines as deadly. This was done by misrepresenting a Japanese press conference. These claims were first shared in simplified Chinese and spread across platforms such as X (below), Facebook and Weibo.
Such disinformation is particularly damaging, as the Quad Vaccine Partnership was designed to bolster regional health security. With the US hosting Pfizer-BioNTech’s supply chain and Australia opening a Moderna vaccine facility in Victoria last year, these false claims risk damaging the Quad’s credibility in delivering health initiatives.
Another example emerged in 2022, when online users masquerading as local activists falsely said a planned facility in Texas of Australian mining company Lynas Rare Earths would cause pollution. Although this disinformation primarily targeted Lynas, it indirectly affected the Quad’s work to secure its supply chain, as the company was selected by the Pentagon to develop the initial engineering and design for the commercial heavy rare earths separation facility in the US.
Although the immediate effect of these disinformation campaigns on Quad’s cohesion has been limited, their potential for long-term harm is significant. Persistent and convincing false narratives could erode public trust, reduce domestic support for Quad initiatives and hinder its ability to build stronger security partnerships. Narratives framing the Quad as belligerent, divided and ineffective not only diminish its legitimacy; they also complicate its ability to keep the Indo-Pacific free and open.
To mitigate these risks, the Quad should adopt a more coordinated and proactive approach. It should continue to cooperate, including through regular information-sharing on measures against disinformation. Additionally, collaboration with regional organisations such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations could further build resilience against disinformation through joint capacity-building and media literacy programs.
Furthermore, engaging with social media platforms to address vulnerabilities, promote transparency, and improve content moderation can help combat disinformation. Japan’s recently launched public-private partnership project to improve technological literacy offers the Quad a model initiative.