Facebook Cracks Down On Malicious Accounts

Facebook was heavily criticized following the 2016 U.S. presidential election for the role it played in the spread of fake news and malicious content. That’s why the social media giant has been extra vigilant in the run up to the next election for bad actors abusing the platform — especially if they’re operating abroad. And this week, Facebook announced that it has disabled dozens of Facebook and Instagram accounts from Iran, Russia, Vietnam and Myanmar that it says were engaging in election interference.

According to Facebook, some of these fake accounts attempted to contact public figures, while others posted in groups and commented on content. But while the company was quick to tout its success in removing these networks, it also cautioned that this problem will likely never fully be solved.

“We are making progress rooting out this abuse, but as we’ve said before, it’s an ongoing challenge,” Nathaniel Gleicher, Facebook’s head of security policy, wrote in a blog post announcing the crackdown. “We’re committed to continually improving to stay ahead. That means building better technology, hiring more people, and working closer with law enforcement, security experts and other companies.”

The truth is that Facebook is too large and unwieldy to ever truly eliminate fake content. However, any progress it makes is still a vast improvement over where the company was a few years ago.




Recommended Resources

bitdefender The Choice of Tech Experts Worldwide. Try 90 days free of Bitdefender 2020 and experience the highest level of digital safety.

PIAPrivate Internet Access is an award-winning, cost-effective VPN solution. The use of an anonymous and trusted VPN is essential to your online privacy, security and identity protection.

System Mechanic 14 – Make your computer run like new. Winner of 200+ Editor’s Choice awards!

Consumer Reports Warns Facebook Users About The Latest Scamming Tactics Previous post Consumer Reports Warns Facebook Users About The Latest Scamming Tactics Mark Zuckerberg Says Facebook Must Be Regulated To Win Back User Trust Next post Mark Zuckerberg Says Facebook Must Be Regulated To Win Back User Trust