Facebook Detects ‘Sophisticated’ Efforts To Influence Upcoming Midterm Elections In The US

Facebook has detected ‘sophisticated’ efforts to affect the United States (US) midterm elections and suspended fake accounts that were indulging in the activities, Deccan Chronicle has reported. The company, however, did not point fingers at any country for engineering such attempts to influence US politics. The opposition in US has routinely blamed Russia for interfering in US elections through social media.

The findings announced by the company were related to 32 accounts that were “apparently fake” and were in involved in “coordinated” and “inauthentic” political behaviour. Nearly 300,000 people followed one of the accounts which was recently suspended.

These fake accounts have been compared to those allegedly deployed during 2016 presidential elections. But Facebook claims that the perpetrators had been more careful in “covering their tracks”. Facebook had announced new guidelines around political advertisements which required disclosure of who paid for them after 2016 polls which had led to a controversy over Russian manipulation. The company has also tried to slow down spread of fake news and misinformation through third fact-checkers.

Several US politicians have earlier raised concerns over attempts to manipulate US elections. Meanwhile White House spokesman Hogan Gidley has conveyed that President Trump has made it clear that his administration will not tolerate foreign influence in US elections.