Facebook in May removed 40 fake accounts, 25 pages, 6 groups, and 28 Instagram accounts that originated in Pakistan and aimed to manipulate public debate on its platforms.
According to the Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior Report for May 2021, the unauthenticated handles targeted primarily domestic audiences in Pakistan, in addition to focusing on English, Arabic, and Pashto-speaking audiences globally.
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Facebook has linked the fake accounts, pages, and groups to individuals associated with AlphaPro, an Islamabad-based digital media marketing agency.
Besides, Facebook also took down 83 fake accounts, 30 pages, 6 groups, and 49 Instagram accounts operated by local nationals in Sudan on behalf of individuals in Russia.
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Overall, Facebook removed 123 fake accounts, 55 pages, 12 groups, and 77 Instagram accounts last month after a comprehensive internal investigation into suspected coordinated inauthentic behavior.
Since 2018, Facebook has been publishing monthly reports on coordinated inauthentic behavior on its platforms. The social media giant describes coordinated inauthentic behavior as misinformation campaigns designed to widen political divides.
