Facebook says it has discovered that people linked to the Saudi regime have been using its platforms to spread propaganda through fake accounts.
The Saudi operation mainly targeted the Middle East and North Africa, and most content was in Arabic, the American social networking service said.
It added that more than 350 accounts have been removed, noting that the fake accounts were set up so people could pose as citizens of those countries, or create pages that looked like local news outlets.
Saudi Arabia made no comment about the issue.
The head of Facebook cybersecurity policy, Nathaniel Gleicher, explained how the Saudi accounts allegedly operated.
The Page admins and account owners typically posted in Arabic about what Riyadh sees “successes” of the Saudi armed forces in the war on Yemen, according to Gleicher.
He added that these accounts were made to spread the Saudi propaganda in the region about political issues, and about the so-called ‘anti-corruption’ plan of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, known as MBS.
The move comes as Facebook has faced rising criticism for failing to stamp out misinformation on its platforms.
Source: Agencies
