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Meta disrupts covert influence operations on Facebook, Instagram

  • The two largest operations were from China and Russia
  • Other operations originated in Turkey and Iran
  • All involved multiple accounts across social media networks

FILE – Facebook’s Meta logo sign is seen at the company headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., Oct. 28, 2021. European Union hits Facebook parent Meta with record $1.3 billion fine over transfers of user data to US. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar, File)

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(NewsNation) — Meta disrupted five social media networks used by foreign adversaries to conduct influence campaigns with both domestic and foreign audiences.

The company’s quarterly threat report detailed the covert influence operations the company removed from Facebook and Instagram. The report also noted the operations extend across multiple social networks, not just those owned by Meta.

The largest networks were those associated with China and Russia, which targeted audiences outside the country. The three other operations, operated all or in part by individuals in Turkey, focused on domestic audiences.

The Chinese operation, according to the report, appears to be the largest cross-platform covert operation uncovered. Thousands of profiles and pages were removed on Facebook, and the operation spanned 50 other platforms and forums. The content included positive information about China and specifically the Xinjiang province. The network also published content critical of the U.S., the Western world and critics of the Chinese government.

The Russian operation ran campaigns with deceptive information, including mimicking the websites of European and American news networks and posting false stories about the war in Ukraine. The goal was to weaken support for Ukraine and the initial operation targeted France, Germany and Ukraine but then expanded to also include the U.S. and Israel. Websites mimicked included Fox News and the Washington Post. Meta called it “the largest and the most persistently aggressive” network the company has removed since 2017.

Among the three smaller networks, one operation was run by Turkey and Iran, and resulted in the removal of 22 Facebook accounts, 21 Pages and seven Instagram accounts. The operation targeted those in Turkey, operating pages that appeared to be independent news sources.

Another operation from Turkey, also targeting a domestic audience, led to the removal of 34 Facebook accounts, 49 Pages, 107 Groups and 12 Instagram accounts. The operation involved websites made to look like independent news media which contained pay-per-click advertising, in an effort to monetize traffic. Some of the individuals were connected with Turkish news outlet Turkuaz Gazetesi.

A second network based in Turkey led to Meta removing 60 Facebook accounts, 37 Pages, 2 Groups and 20 Instagram accounts. Instead of focusing on news, this network involved the creation of fictitious brands. It also targeted a domestic audience.

In removing the reports, Meta also identified a persistent issue of covert operations using doppelganger accounts to mimic real news outlets or brands. In particular, the reported noted the risk of domain registration and typosquatting, where bad actors purchase domains similar to official ones but with common typing errors, in order to trick people into thinking they are on an official site.

While Meta removed pages from these operations on their platforms, those false websites still remain operational and continue to publish misinformation.

The company issued a number of industry recommendations to combat the problem, including registers being more pro-active in seeking out and removing sites run by actors and changes to laws to require verified information for WHOIS data, which tracks the owners of websites.

Tech

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