Facebook Removes Multiple Fake Pages From the UK and Romania
Facebook says it removed multiple Pages, groups and accounts that engaged in "coordinated inauthentic behavior" on Facebook and Instagram.
The two domestic operations Facebook found originated in the UK and Romania. Facebook said the people behind those activities used similar tactics by creating networks of accounts to mislead others about who they were and what they were doing.
In total, Facebook says it removed 137 Facebook and Instagram accounts, Pages and Groups as part of a domestic-focused network in the UK. The individuals behind these accounts represented themselves as far-right and anti-far-right activists, frequently changed Page and Group names, and operated fake accounts to engage in hate speech and spread divisive comments on both sides of the political debate in the UK.
Separately, Facebook removed 31 Facebook Pages, Groups, and accounts for engaging in coordinated inauthentic behavior as part of a network that operated in Romania and used a combination of fake accounts and some authentic accounts to mislead others about who they were and what they were doing. The Page admins and account owners typically posted about local news and political issues, including partisan news under fictitious bylines in support of the Social Democratic Party (PSD). They also shared divisive narratives and promoted content hosted by several domains that present themselves as news sites.
About 175,000 accounts followed one or more of these pages, and around 4,500 accounts followed one or more of these Instagram accounts.