Facebook Takes Action Against 3 Separate Networks for Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior

Facebook removed three unconnected networks for engaging in foreign or government interference, or coordinated inauthentic behavior on behalf of a government or foreign actor. The first network originated in Russia and focused primarily on Ukraine and other neighboring countries. It consisted of 78 accounts, 11 pages, 29 groups and four Instagram accounts, and Facebook head of security policy Nathaniel Gleicher said in a Newsroom post that the individuals behind the activity posed as locals and used fake accounts to manage groups and pages and post and comment on content. Gleicher added that some represented themselves as citizen journalists and attempted to contact policymakers, journalists and other public figures in the region. Content was typically posted in Russian, English and Ukrainian, focusing on local and political news such as public figures in Ukraine, Russian military engagement in Syria, alleged SBU (Sluzhba Bezpeky Ukrayiny, Ukraine’s secret service) leaks related to ethnic tensions in Crimea and the downing of a Malaysian airliner in Ukraine in 2014. Gleicher said about 500 accounts followed one or more of the pages, while roughly 6,150 joined at least one of the groups, and some 100 followed one or more of the Instagram accounts. Facebook shared examples of content posted by this network: [kickout id="1"] [kickout id="2"] [kickout id="3"] The second network consisted of six accounts and five Instagram accounts originating in Iran and primarily focused on the U.S. Gleicher said the activities of individuals in this network were similar to those of the first network, and content focused on political news and geopolitics, such as the U.S. elections, Christianity, U.S.-Iran relations, U.S. immigration policy, criticism of U.S. policies in the Middle East and public figures, as well as video interviews with academics, public figures and columnists on issues related to Iran and U.S. elections. About 60 people followed at least one of the Instagram accounts. Facebook shared samples of content posted by this network: [kickout id="4"] [kickout id="5"] [kickout id="6"] The third and final network was made up of 13 accounts and 10 pages originating in Myanmar and Vietnam and focusing on the former. Gleicher said individuals in this network used fake accounts to manage pages posing as independent telecommunications consumer news hubs or pretended to be customers of telecom providers in Myanmar. Content was typically shared in English and Burmese, focused on the alleged business failures and planned market exit of these service providers, as well as alleged fraudulent activity. Gleicher said Facebook found links to two telecommunications providers—Mytel in Myanmar and Viettel in Vietnam—as well as Vietnamese public-relations firm Gapit Communications. Approximately 265,600 accounts followed one or more of the pages, and the network spent about $1,155,000 on Facebook ads, paid for in dollars and Vietnamese dong. The social network shared examples of content from this group: [kickout id="7"] [kickout id="8"] [kickout id="9"]

Social Pro Daily

Facebook Takes Action Against 3 Separate Networks for Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior

They originated in Russia, Iran and Myanmar/Vietnam

David Cohen

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David Cohen