[September 23, AFP]Facebook, the largest social networking site (SNS), announced on the 22nd that it has thwarted a plan by a network of fake accounts originating from China that targeted the US presidential election.
Nathaniel Gleicher, Facebook’s head of cybersecurity, said the company has deleted accounts as part of its efforts to combat “organized fraud.” . This is the first time a Chinese-originated campaign targeting U.S. politicians has been discovered on Facebook.
This time, 155 accounts, 11 pages, nine groups, and six accounts on Instagram, a photo-sharing app owned by Facebook, were deleted for violating rules prohibiting interference with foreign countries. The company did not link the campaign to the Chinese government and said its investigation found links to multiple individuals in Fujian province.
Gleischer said that overall postings on the network in question were focused overseas, primarily in the Philippines and more broadly in Southeast Asia, with only a few targeting the United States, particularly the U.S. Navy. He was referring to U.S. activities in the South China Sea, including the movement of ships.
Posts from Southeast Asia included topics such as China’s interests in the South China Sea, the Hong Kong issue, and support for Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.
Gleischer said the network, which has been active since at least 2018, has been active since at least 2018, but it does not contain information about U.S. President Donald Trump or his presidential opponent, Democrat Joe Biden. It is only recently that content discussing the pros and cons has appeared.
According to Facebook, about 133,000 people followed pages associated with the network, and about 61,000 people participated in one or more of the network’s online groups. Additionally, the network was only paying about $60 (approximately 6,000 yen) in advertising fees. (c)AFP
Source: Japanese