Facebook Axes Fake Accounts Claiming To Represent Black Support For Trump

Facebook has removed several accounts purporting to represent African American support for President Donald Trump, the company revealed Thursday.

It also wiped out hundreds of fake accounts linked to the right-wing media operation The Epoch Times that peddled pro-Trump conspiracy theories about COVID-19 and anti-racism protests.

The fake African American accounts were pushed out by a toll farm in Romania onto Facebook and Instagram targeting the U.S. ahead of the presidential election. The accounts used names like “We Love Our President” on Facebook, and “BlackPeopleVoteForTrump” on Instagram.

Facebook said the fake network’s posts featured U.S. news, including the upcoming election, the “Trump campaign and support for the campaign by African Americans,” as well as support for conservative ideology, Christian beliefs and QAnon.

Facebook removed 35 Facebook accounts, three pages and 88 Instagram accounts in the crackdown, which the company said was part of its ongoing action against “coordinated inauthentic behavior” during the presidential campaign.


Separately, Facebook last month removed 54 Facebook accounts, 50 pages and four Instagram accounts in a probe of what Facebook said was an effort by the Proud Boys “hate group” to slip back into the social media platform after it was permanently banned.

Facebook linked the network to the felon and longtime Trump confidant Roger Stone and his “associates.”

Identifying those accounts got a boost from the release of search warrants linked to the investigation into Russian interference into the U.S. election by former special counsel Robert Mueller, Facebook noted. The warrants were released in response to a joint petition by several media outlets.


https://www.huffpost.com/entry/facebook-fake-african-american-accounts_n_5f2ca8c3c5b6e96a22b00ac8