Facebook Releases Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior Report for September 2020

Facebook released its Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior Report for September 2020, along with some bonus coverage of activity in the first few days of October. Head of security policy Nathaniel Gleicher provided some color in a Newsroom post, writing, “Two of the networks we’re sharing today engaged primarily in commenting on content—relying on real people, not automation—to create the perception of widespread support of their narratives by leaving comments on posts by media entities and public figures. Other campaigns—like the ones from Russia (that we removed in late September)—focused on tricking unwitting freelance journalists into writing on behalf of these operations.” He added. “Deceptive campaigns like these raise a particularly complex challenge by blurring the line between healthy public debate and manipulation. Our teams will continue to find, remove and expose these coordinated manipulation campaigns, but we know that these threats extend beyond our platform, and no single organization can tackle them alone. That’s why it’s critical that we, as a society, have a broader discussion about what is acceptable political advocacy and take steps to deter people from crossing the line.” In early October, Facebook removed 200 accounts, 55 pages and 76 Instagram accounts that originated in the U.S. and focused on domestic audiences, as well as Botswana and Kenya. Fake accounts were used to comment on other people’s content, with people posing as individuals on both sides of the political spectrum in the U.S. Gleicher wrote, “We began our investigation after public reporting about some elements of this activity by The Washington Post. Although the people behind this network attempted to conceal their identities and coordination, our investigation linked this activity to Rally Forge, a U.S. marketing firm working on behalf of Turning Point USA and Inclusive Conservation Group. Rally Forge is now banned from Facebook. We are continuing to investigate all linked networks, and we will take action as appropriate if we determine that they are engaged in deceptive behavior.” About 373,000 accounts followed one or more of the pages, and some 22,000 people followed at least one of the Instagram accounts. This network spent around $973,000 on ads on the two platforms, paid for in dollars. Examples of content from the removed pages and accounts follow: Another network removed early this month consisted of 17 pages, 50 accounts and six Instagram accounts engaged in domestic-focused activity from the country where they originated, Myanmar. The individuals behind this network posted primarily in Burmese about local news and current events, and Facebook’s investigation found links to members of the Myanmar military. Some 538,000 accounts followed at least one of the pages, while around 800 people followed one or more of the Instagram accounts. About $1,850 was spent on Facebook ads, paid for in dollars. Examples of content from the removed pages and accounts follow: Page Name: People’s Voice Caption: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is so smart….1) She grasped love from people by blaming illegal Bangali problem originated from Military government and U Thien Sein government and by participating in 2015 general elections without a single Muslim candidate. But after the election, she appointed Muslim lawyer U Ko Ni as chairman of Constitutional amendment Committee – an important position – under the pretext of constitution amendment. (Yes! Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is so smart….) 2) She grasped love from people by proclaming to upgrade the outdated education system while blaming the failure of the system at the time of U Thien Sein government. But rumors came out that Daw Su has improved education system by allowing matriculation passing rate to 50 percent with ‘Moderation System’. (Yes! Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is so smart….) …. Page title: Our army Caption: Nothing special. Just because the country next door is boasting (about their military power) The parade is not about intimidating others. It is a partial demonstration to show how strong the country’s defense capabilities are, how high the country’s defense morale is and how the soldiers of the country are patriotic and possess defense mindset.(Excerpt from an interview between the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Services and Russia Today News Agency, 2020) #crd-Phoe Si Page title: Public Outcry Caption: Don’t ask what the government has done in the last five years.Just look at the economic situation in Myanmar from 2016 to 2019 Caption: Local farmers’ heartfelt voices on the support of rice, oil, salt, beans and food supplies from military families for families affected by the drought A third network removed in the early stages of October was made up of 589 accounts, 7,906 pages and 447 Instagram accounts originating in Azerbaijan and primarily focused on that country. Gleicher said this network appeared to engage individuals in Azerbaijan to manage pages with the sole purpose of leaving supportive and critical commentary on the pages of international and local media and public figures, including opposition and the ruling party of Azerbaijan. Posts were primarily in Azerbaijani, with some in Russian and English. The social network’s investigation linked this activity to the Youth Union of New Azerbaijani Party. Approximately 33,000 accounts followed at least one of the pages, while some 242,500 people followed one or more of the Instagram accounts, and about $6,600 was spent on Facebook ads, paid for primarily in dollars. Examples of content from the removed pages and accounts follow: Page name: Radio Liberty Azerbaijan about Post: “Regarding the ADB’s forecast figures, I believe that with this trend, GDP will decline by 4.8-5 percent. If there is a 2.8% decline in the first seven months of 2020, it may continue until the end of the year. The consequences of any crisis over time are going to felt even more.” Comment 1: Despite the negative impact of the pandemic on the country and the world economy and falling oil prices, as noted by President Ilham Aliyev, no social project will be postponed. Comment 2: It should be noted that during the pandemic, our country saw a decline in the economy of only 2.8% in 7 months. However, this result is very good for many countries. Comment 3: Azerbaijan has a strong economy, and the virus has had little effect on growing economic development. This took us an average of 2 years ago, but in countries like Germany, this figure is much higher. Comment 4: Important reforms are underway in Azerbaijan to double the economy. The state uses all opportunities to resolve this issue. We have passed many such tests and we will continue to do so. Page name: New Azerbaijani Party Youth Union Post: PRESIDENT ORDERS ON “DIGLAS”: ENTREPRENEURS WILL BE COMPENSATED [Link to video] Comment: Once again, the leader showed who the people should trust and who can provide the solution to their problems. The fourth and final network taken down this month originated in Nigeria and focused on domestic audiences, and it consisted of 79 accounts, 47 pages, 93 groups and 48 Instagram accounts. Fake and duplicate accounts were used to manage groups and pages posing as independent news entities and aiming to drive traffic to off-platform sites, and Facebook’s investigation linked the activity to members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria. Roughly 82,000 accounts followed at least one of the pages, while around 131,500 joined at least one of the groups and about 25,000 people followed one or more of the Instagram accounts. Less than $8,500 was spent on Facebook and Instagram ads, paid for primarily in dollars. Examples of content from the removed pages and accounts follow: Gleicher also summarized the networks that were removed in September, some of which were already detailed. Russia: 40 accounts, 17 pages, one group and six Instagram accounts, focused on domestic audiences and linked to individuals associated with the United Russia party.Russia: 224 accounts, 35 pages, 18 groups and 34 Instagram accounts linked to the Russian military, including military intelligence services.Russia: 54 accounts, one page, one group and three Instagram accounts linked to individuals associated with past activity by the Russian Internet Research Agency.Russia: 23 accounts, seven pages and three Instagram accounts linked to individuals in Russia, including those associated with Russian intelligence services.China: 155 accounts, 11 pages, nine groups and six Instagram accounts linked to individuals in the Fujian province of China.Philippines: 64 accounts, 32 pages and 33 Instagram accounts linked to Philippine military and Philippine police.