In a press conference, the Meta confirmed to have blocked 1.633 accounts, 703 pages and a group on Facebook, as well as 29 accounts on Instagram, linked to a huge fake news network.
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According to Meta employee David Agranovich, the investigations began in May and verified 60 fake websites imitating well-known media outlets, such as the German newspapers Der Spiegel and Bild, the English The Guardian and the Italian agency ANSA.
A Russian fake news network created articles criticizing Ukraine and supporting Russia, and shared them on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, Twitter and online petition platforms in countries such as Germany, France, Italy, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.
“This is probably the largest and most complex operation of Russian origin that we have disrupted since the start of the war in Ukraine,” with “a truly unusual combination of sophistication and brute force,” explains Agranovich.
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China vs. US Conspiracy Networks
The network operated in China and detected by Meta was much smaller, but it attempted several operations, two of which targeted Americans.
In the first, fake accounts posed as conservatives and discussed topics such as weapons or abortion, or even criticized Joe Biden. The messages were mainly in English, but were also found in Chinese or French.
In another operation, those who called themselves progressive criticized the Republican Party's positions on weapons or abortion, or personally attacked Republican policies.
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This is the first time that a disinformation operation has targeted both Democrats and Republicans, by raising controversial topics before the legislative elections on November 8, highlighted Meta.
In total, in this second network, the goal blocked 81 accounts, eight pages and a group in Facebook, as two accounts in Instagram.
The company said it did not have enough evidence to incriminate specific groups in Russia or China.
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Source: AFP
