Facebook has removed 14 networks, representing more than 1,000 fake accounts that were trying to influence politics globally – including in Iran and El Salvador – by misleading the public about their identities.
Most of the networks taken down were in the early stages of building their audiences, the social mediaFacebook’s announcement — part of its monthly report on its efforts to rid its platform of fake accounts — represents one of the company’s biggest crackdowns in recent months.
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Facebook has so far removed numerous accounts that aimed to manipulate or mislead public opinion.
For example, it took down a network of more than 300 accounts, pages and groups on Facebook and Instagram that were allegedly run by an Albania- and the Mujahideen-e Khalq (MEK), a dissident group with roots in radical Islam and Marxism. The group targeted Iran and other audiences with content about Iran, according to a report released by the social media company.
The group was most active in 2017, but increased its activity again in the last half of 2020.It was one of the few influencer campaigns that likely used machine learning technologies, which can create realistic profile photos, according to Facebook.
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The company also removed 118 accounts, 8 pages and 10 Instagram accounts – based in Spain and El Salvador – for violating the company’s foreign intervention policy. The group was amplifying criticism of Henry Flores, a mayoral candidate in Santa Tecla , El Salvador, and supporting his opponents, the company said.
In addition, the social media giant took down a network of 29 accounts, 2 pages, 1 Facebook group and 10 Instagram accounts based in Iran that targeted Israel .The people behind the network posed as “locals” and posted criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to Facebook. The company also took down networks based in Argentina, Mexico, Egypt and other countries.
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Nathaniel Gleicher, Facebook's head of security policy, said the company has improved its ability to detect inauthentic accounts, but noted that malicious actors continue to change their strategies to avoid detection by Facebook.
Information source: bloomberg.com
