BREAKING: Facebook has removed a new network of 2 pages and 13 fake accounts linked to the Russian troll farm, the Internet Research Agency (IRA), which was in the early stages of building its audience. It primarily focused on the US, UK, Algeria and Egypt
about.fb.com/news/2020/09/a…
about.fb.com/news/2020/09/a…
The network created personas with fake names and AI-generated profile photos, who posed as news
editors from various countries, including the US. It posted content in English and Arabic, and had achieved 14,000 followers and spent around $480 on ads before being take down
editors from various countries, including the US. It posted content in English and Arabic, and had achieved 14,000 followers and spent around $480 on ads before being take down
The second network is also interesting. Made up of 42 Facebook pages and 36 Instagram accounts and with 509,000 followers, it was a foreign interference campaign run by US-based
strategic communications firm CLS Strategies targeting Venezuela, Mexico and Bolivia
strategic communications firm CLS Strategies targeting Venezuela, Mexico and Bolivia
Interestingly, the IRA network was posting about QAnon, among a range of other topics. This isn't surprising, QAnon is a giant pool of conspiracies that anyone could put their own input into it. But I have yet to see evidence suggesting QAnon originated in anywhere outside the US
