Network of hundreds of fake Facebook profiles spreads propaganda in more than 30 countries
Fake Facebook profiles spread propaganda! – The most important thing at the beginning
- Spreading racist comments and denigrating politicians
- Contacted real users
- Following information from “Spiegel” and the Atlantic Council, the Facebook network was switched off
A global network of hundreds of fake Facebook profiles was uncovered by journalists from “Spiegel” and researchers from the US think tank Atlantic Council. These profiles are said to have been used for propaganda in numerous countries.
Facebook profiles spread propaganda: racist comments
Fake profiles were created for employees of the army, law enforcement agencies and the tourism industry, which were used to spread racist comments. Politicians like Angela Merkel and Barack Obama were denounced here, according to “Spiegel”. Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, on the other hand, were praised lavishly.
Contacted users
Contact with real people was also established via the fake profiles. These include politicians, doctors, army personnel and journalists. According to the “Spiegel” report, “private and intimate information” was also exchanged. It is obvious that these “virtual approaches” could be useful for spying on real people.
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Michael Fire, IT expert at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel, told Spiegel that fake profiles on Facebook have different intentions. This includes, among other things, influencing opinions as well as collecting personal data and spreading computer viruses.
Network has now been deleted from Facebook
According to “Spiegel”, Facebook said around 5.4 billion fake profiles were deleted between January and September 2019. The “Spiegel” report states that this network has been operating since 2011 and has not yet been recognized by Facebook. Following the advice of the Atlantic Council researchers and “Spiegel”, the entire Facebook network has now been switched off. However, it is still unclear who is behind these profiles.
Source: orf.at
Article image: Shutterstock / By durantelallera
Notes:
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