Foreign countries and governments that are at odds with the U.S. government will stop at nothing to influence elections.
In announcements made on January 31, Facebook and Twitter stated that several hundred pages and accounts linked to Iran, Russia, and Venezuela had been taken down. These pages advocated for decidedly anti-West values, especially pro-Palestine propaganda and 9/11 conspiracy theories.
At least 783 pages and accounts were removed, according to Facebook.The Iranian accounts had been active for five years. Facebook said the accounts had hosted eight events on the platform. The accounts purchased more than $20,000 worth of advertising on both Facebook and Instagram. Some of the posts included statements like, “I do not recognize Israel at all.” Another post showed a salesman with a star of David on his sleeve selling ties to a nervous man, with a comment about “The deal of the century.”
On Twitter, Iranian accounts were targeting U.S. midterm elections in 2018. A majority of these accounts were suspended before the election. Over 2,617 accounts linked to Iran were suspended.
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Twitter was also forced to remove 764 accounts in Venezuela. Many of these accounts were linked to a foreign campaign that focused on “divisive campaigns.” While most of the accounts targeted Venezuelans, a few were aimed at other, unnamed audiences.
Facebook later stated that it is investigating activity in Venezuela.
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