“The American government will come for you!” – Chinese disinformation regarding US federal data disaggregation policy

Doctor Wei-Ping Li

On March 28, 2024, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a document detailing changes to Statistical Policy Directive 15, which sets standards for the “maintenance, collection, and presentation of federal data on race and ethnicity.” ” Shortly after the document’s publication, false information spread throughout Chinese-speaking communities – not only in the U.S., but also in China, Taiwan and Asian countries, many of which are descended from Chinese descendants. Those who published or shared false information about the changed policy , warned: “The American government is now coming for Chinese immigrants, just like it did to the Japanese during World War II!”

The statements stoked people’s fear and anger on social media platforms and websites popular with Chinese and Taiwanese audiences. Although this American domestic policy has no impact on people in other countries, it raised complex topics and aroused strong feelings among people from all walks of life. Factors contributing to the spread of false information include the long-standing, contentious debate over dividing the demographics of Asian Americans into more specific races or ethnic groups, growing concerns about discrimination against Chinese Americans, Chinese nationalism clinging to past humiliation by the West, escalating geopolitical conflict between the US and China and the growing wave of Chinese who intend to leave China and start a new life elsewhere.

In fact, the Statistics Policy Directive has little to do with US immigration policy as such. Instead, it is a guideline for collecting demographic data on race and ethnicity in the United States. As the American population has become more diverse, several minority groups have advocated for the division of demographic data so that the government or policymakers can better understand the living and health conditions of each group and develop appropriate policies to meet their needs. For example, it is critical to determine whether certain racial groups are at higher risk of developing lung cancer so that the public health agency can conduct additional research and propose preventive strategies for that racial group. Currently, in addition to the federal government, 13 states in the United States have passed laws requiring government agencies to collect disaggregated data on racial and ethnic groups when collecting demographic information.

Many members of the AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) community in the United States have been advocating for data disaggregation since the 1980s. Supporters believe that the term “AAPI” is too broad and includes people from Asian and Pacific Islander countries (such as Hawaii), including Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Hmong, Filipino, Korean, Indian, and so on. In reality, the living conditions of communities vary greatly, and each community faces unique challenges. Disaggregating “Asian Americans” and recognizing their identities could enhance “one for all” public policies that may even harm minority groups lumped into the single category of “Asian.” Additionally, some Taiwanese American organizations have campaigned for the recognition of “Taiwanese” as a category in United States censuses and demographic surveys.

On the other hand, data disaggregation has caused concern among Chinese Americans. Opponents say splitting data categories in demographic surveys is a first step toward legal racial profiling and raises the prospects of another Chinese exclusion law. However, some statements of concern are based on inaccurate information or a misunderstanding of policy.

Screenshots of internet rumors claimed that “the United States has introduced the Asia Partition Act”

The false information spread online in recent months in Chinese following the publication of Statistical Policy Directive No. 15 is once again mixed with inaccurate information, demonstrating a lack of understanding of the historical context and the intricacies of data disaggregation. Moreover, malicious actors used this information to intimidate immigrants in the United States and people planning to leave China.

Several narrative elements can be identified from this incorrect information. The first topic is that the updated federal statistics policy directive targets only Chinese Americans. Second, the new policy requires all Chinese in the U.S. to register with the government and disclose extensive personal information. Third, dividing Asian Americans into different races and ethnic groups would have serious consequences, such as singling out Chinese for further discrimination, confiscation of property, and even risk of loss of life. Moreover, some disinformation accuses Taiwanese-American lawmakers of advocating for “Asian partition (亞裔細分)” legislation.

An article on the website “TouTiao (今日頭條)” stated that the recently changed rule specifically affected Chinese in the US: “All Chinese living in the US, whether they have acquired US citizenship or not, should be registered with the government” – written in this article. In fact, under Directive 15, the changes apply to a wide range of groups. For example, additional categories have been added for Hispanic, Latino, Middle Eastern and North African.

Chinese website “TouTiao (今日頭條)” claims that recently published “China-division” legislation requires all Chinese in the US to be registered with the government. He further stated that the law “clearly singles out Chinese people.”

Several disinformation claims claimed that the new policy would require Chinese people to disclose a wide range of private information, including age, occupation, income, tax payment history and any property or ownership details. One article said: “You (Chinese) have no privacy. You must be honest when submitting your declarations and registering. Otherwise you will have to take legal responsibility or risk having your property confiscated. This law is grossly discriminatory.” The article further said that because the United States has a significant amount of foreign debt and is having difficulty repaying it, the American government plans to use this law to extract money from Chinese people living in the US. After all, as the article stated, the only way for the US to get out of this mess is to start a conflict and demand more money from the Chinese in the US

Another article published on the website TouTiao stated that Chinese in the US must provide and register detailed information such as occupation, income, tax-paying history and financial situation with the US government.

The truth is that neither Statistical Policy Directive 15 nor data disaggregation laws passed in 13 states require respondents or Chinese people to register information with the government. Additionally, the US federal government has strict regulations prohibiting the use or disclosure of personal information collected during the census.

Nevertheless, false information shows how data disaggregation policies will harm Chinese people living in the United States. One Facebook post reminded audiences of the exclusion and internment of Japanese citizens of Japanese descent in the United States during World War II. This post even incorrectly stated that “some Chinese in the US were no longer able to withdraw their money from US banks!”

Other posts incorrectly linked data disaggregation policies to college admissions and affirmative action policies, stating that singling out Chinese means that Chinese Americans will be assigned a quota when they apply to college, increasing competition among Chinese Americans for limited places in studies. The TikTok video even warned that “the American government has raised its cleaver high.” It’s only a matter of time before the cleaver falls (on the Chinese in the US).” This narrator suggested that laws requiring “Chinese registration” were a sign of mass killings of Chinese people similar to those that occurred in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

Fake news posts also accused the U.S. Democratic Party and Taiwanese American lawmakers of promoting the bill. One post on Twitter and Weibo alleged that OMB’s revised policy was a Democratic Party plan. This and other similar posts also called out several representatives of Taiwan’s American House for promoting the “draconian law.”

Some fake news creators have linked the revised US Data Disaggregation Directive to another controversial immigration bill recently passed in the UK. For example, the host of the said TikTok video falsely claimed that “Hong Kong people who demand HK independence from China (港獨份子)” are being targeted by a new UK law that causes asylum seekers to come to the UK without permission to Rwanda. The film details the “devastating situation experienced by Hong Kong people in the UK.” Similar to the previously mentioned fake news that highlighted discrimination against Chinese people in the US, the videos that distorted UK immigration policy and immigration life seemed to suggest that immigrants in Western countries are treated even more harshly.

The case of this false information distorting the US Statistics Policy Directive is another good illustration of how false information can be developed from existing controversies, myths, and fears to serve a variety of propaganda purposes.

Wei-Ping Li is a research fellow at the Taiwan FactCheck Center.

Yun-Kai Hsu (fact checker at Taiwan FactCheck Center) contributed to this analysis.

Bibliography

🔗 Peng, Andrew, Mary Yang and Javan Santos. “The Statistical Storm: Data Disaggregation and the AAPI Identity Debate.” Yappie, November 22, 2023 https://theyappie.com/aapi-data-disaggregation/.

🔗Taiwan Fact Checking Center. “【錯誤】網傳「美國推出亞裔細分法案，強制亞裔居民要再登記為華人、日本人、越南人等」？((Error) Internet rumor stating that “The United States has introduced the Partition Act Asian Force to Re-Register as Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, etc.), May 23, 2024 https://tfc-taiwan.org.tw/articles/10594.

🔗The White House. “OMB Publishes Amendments to Statistics Policy Directive 15: Standards for the Maintenance, Collection, and Presentation of Federal Race and Ethnicity Data.” White House, March 28, 2024 https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/briefing-room/2024/03/28/omb-publishes-revisions-to-statistical-policy-directive-no-15-standards – to-maintain-collect-and-present-federal-data-on-race-and-ethnicity/.