Sep 23, 2020 11:26:00

Facebook removes fraudulent Chinese and Philippine networks that use fake accounts to spread false information

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Book Catalog

Facebook has announced that it has removed networks centered around China and the Philippines, saying it 'spread false information to people through fake accounts.' It is said that these fake accounts spread false information about politics in China and the Philippines, and also disinformation of President Trump and former Vice President of the United States Joe Biden.

Removing Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior --About Facebook
https://about.fb.com/news/2020/09/removing-coordinated-inauthentic-behavior-china-philippines/

Operation Naval Gazing
https://graphika.com/reports/operation-naval-gazing/

Facebook Takes Down Fake Pages Created in China Aimed at Trump, Biden --The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/22/us/politics/facebook-china-election-interference.html

Facebook removes inauthentic assets linked to the Philippine military | by @DFRLab | DFRLab | Sep, 2020 | Medium
https://medium.com/dfrlab/facebook-removes-inauthentic-assets-linked-to-the-philippine-military-b61f9a38cb4a

According to Facebook's announcement, the network with 155 Facebook accounts, 11 pages, 9 groups, and 6 Instagram accounts was removed due to the fraudulent policy violation. These activities started in China, and the account posted to the group under the guise of the residents of the targeted country, and increased the spreading power of the post by pressing 'Like' and leaving a comment. The spread posts are written in Chinese, Filipino, and English in support of President Rodrigo Duterte and his daughter, lawyer Sarah Duterte, and the social news site 'Rappler' launched by a former CNN female reporter. ' content to criticize was the main.

In this activity, about 60 dollars (about 6300 yen) of advertising expenses are paid to Facebook in RMB, and a Facebook survey has found a connection with individuals in Fujian Province. There was also a post about President Trump and former Vice President Biden for the US presidential election, but this is not for public opinion manipulation for the presidential election, but for the purpose of increasing followers by dealing with high-profile topics. It is believed that it was. Although activity in China has been detected, Chinese officials have clearly denied that the activity is 'trying to influence the US presidential election.'

In addition, another network was deleted because it 'acts as if it were a Philippine government agency without certification.' The network had 57 Facebook accounts, 31 pages, 20 Instagram accounts, and a total of 270,000 followers.

According to

DFRLab , an account on the Philippine network was created in 2015, posting anti-communist content and supporting the Philippine anti-terrorism law , which expands military and police authority. Activities also accelerated from 2019 to 2020, with posts increasing over time.

Some of the accounts had only a few followers, but the account 'Talahib' had 59,523 followers and is believed to have had a significant impact.

It is said that the people who operate this network tried to hide their identities by taking security measures, but Facebook investigation has found the connection between the Philippine military and the Philippine police.