It has been reported that Facebook has deleted 93 Facebook and 194 Instagram accounts believed to have been connected to an organized ring of disinformation. According to news stories the accounts were linked because they had all been posting about local news in Lorestan province, anti USA and Saudi-Arabia content and encouraging people to vote in the past election.
This is not the first time that Facebook has kicked off government-backed accounts from its platforms. Two years ago Facebook removed approximately 800 accounts linked to Iran and suspected of sharing propaganda of the Islamic Republic. Also earlier this year Facebook deleted 200 accounts linked to Iranian espionage ring which targeted aerospace workers in Europe and USA.
The latest mass deletion has been revealed in the the companies inauthentic behavior report. According to report Facebook deleted networks in both Sudan and Iran claiming that both networks were connected to the militaries of each country. For Iran the report connects the network to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.
According to Facebook Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior includes both Domestic and Non-Government Campaigns plus Foreign or Government Interference. Facebooks policy about FGI is that it will delete every account connected to the network on every platform connected to the operation as well as the people and people and organizations behind it. But what else can they do to stop the Islamic Republic and other states from abusing their platforms?
Unless Facebook can hold nations to account for abusing their platforms then they will continue to use them to spread misinformation and hate. Furthermore it is very funny that the IRGC is trying to influence people on Facebook when Facebook itself is banned in Iran! Maybe they are scared about the power of social media and that is why they ban it. Despite the banning it looks like the Iranian government will continue to endorse this behavior online.
