Facebook has removed fake Iran accounts that appear to be Scottish

Facebook shut down fake account networks that looked like English and Scottish, but were actually a function from Iran. The company described in detail the exceptions in its most recent report of illegal practices on its platform.

The network was small – eight accounts on Facebook and 126 on Instagram – though it gained 77,000 followers, according to the company. Facebook security analysts did not say exactly who in Iran started the operation, or what their motives were, but said some of the people affected had “a foundation in teaching English as a foreign language.”

“This network has posted pictures and memes in English about what is happening in the UK, as well as comments supporting the Scottish independence and criticism of the UK government,” Facebook wrote in a statement. Speaking to reporters, David Agranovich, Director of Threat Disruption on Facebook, said this was not the first time the company had filed false Iran-specific accounts targeting Scotland, but recent networks have been known for their “technical” counterfeit approach. people.

“What was remarkable about this was the efforts made by the staff to make their lies look like real people,” Agranovich said. He also noted that the accountants had long been writing about their “interests” like football, in an effort to strengthen their loyalty. Some accounts have also uploaded historical images from celebrities or television personalities, with frequent changes of images to make them more realistic. Some accounts use fake images created by AI applications.

Overall, Facebook claims that fake accounts did not work out because the most popular account only reached 4,000 followers, about half of those in the UK. “In a way, this is like the old-fashioned way of appealing to the internet, making fake people and trying to hide it,” Agranovich said.