Facebook reveals broad takedown of global disinformation networks

[brooklynite]

Source: Washington Post

Facebook on Wednesday said it took down disinformation networks tied to a broad swath of political actors and events around the world, including militant group Hamas, Chinese state groups, and the immigration crisis along the Belarus-Poland border. The company also removed accounts run by anti-vaccine groups that were using evolving tactics to attack doctors in Europe.

Together, the cat-and-mouse game described in the company’s monthly threat report continues to demonstrate how social media is an active battlefield where governments and motivated parties to manipulate public opinion. It also shows the might of the global platform, which has recently come under renewed fire for its role in spreading societal harms.

Facebook, which recently changed its name to Meta, does not disclose the reach of the disinformation campaigns, making it difficult for outsiders to gauge their actual influence. It discloses accounts removed and the followers of those accounts, but not the views that the posts received.

The China operation was discovered, the company said, after a mysterious account claiming to be a Swiss biologist posted that the United States was pressuring and intimidating World Health Organization scientists studying the origins of covid-19 in an attempt to blame China for the virus. The false persona was named Wilson Edwards and made the posts on Twitter and Facebook in July.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/12/01/facebook-disinformation-report/

[Claustrum]

1. Look, they are doing things outside of the US

but they don't dare to touch the disinformation in the US.

[brush]

2. Yeah, they're not to be trusted. And who believes them on this story?

[taxi]

4. The title does say broad takedown

and they did take that bit of disinformation all the way down for us to see; a broad takedown indeed.
keep up the good work fb.

[godfree2]

11. bingo

[Runningdawg]

3. I'll believe it when I see it.

[FakeNoose]

5. They OWN this mess - it doesn't matter what they say or do now

Thanks for nothing Facebook

[Scrivener7]

6. They're cleaning up their act again? What is this, the ninth time this year? And yet

the amount of disinformation they peddle never seems to change.

[paleotn]

7. Facebook is shutting itself down?

Oh...sorry. Wrong global disinformation network.

[Javaman]

8. That horse has already left the barn. nt

[Pas-de-Calais]

9. Yeah right sure they did

[ampm]

10. Not to be believed

They put something out there and we're supposed to jump for joy. One story but where are the facts. Where are the media outlets on this?