Meta links US military to fake social media influence campaigns

In its latest quarterly threat report, Meta said it had detected and disrupted power operations originating successful nan US, and it calls retired those it believes are responsible: nan American military.

Meta said it picked up connected 3 awesome covert power operations connected its platforms successful nan 3rd 4th of nan year, nan first of which originated successful nan United States.

Meta antecedently reported connected secretive power ops being performed by nan US in August, but didn't specify thing astir its observations astatine nan clip extracurricular of saying they originated wrong nan country.

Now, however, nan societal media elephantine is getting much specific. "Although nan group down this cognition attempted to conceal their identities and coordination, our investigation recovered links to individuals associated pinch nan US military," Meta said successful the report [PDF].

• Meta faces suit to extremity 'surveillance advertising'
• UK title watchdog investigates Apple and Google 'stranglehold' complete nan mobile market
• Meta's Cicero chatbot tin astir apt hit you astatine Diplomacy
• Feel Luckey, punk? Oculus designer builds VR execution headset

The operators of nan web apparently besides posted "primarily during US business hours (EST) alternatively than during activity hours successful nan countries they targeted." Clearly they've ne'er heard of scheduled posts.

In all, 39 Facebook accounts, 16 Pages, 2 Groups, and 26 Instagram accounts linked to nan US subject cognition were terminated. The cognition appeared to person constricted reach.

Operators down nan campaign, which progressive posing arsenic locals successful countries for illustration Afghanistan, Iran, and Iraq, managed to pull astir 22,000 followers connected Facebook and 400 group crossed nan 2 Groups. 

"The mostly of this operation's posts had small to nary engagement from authentic communities," Meta said. ®