Facebook officials have announced an investigation that resulted in the blocking of hundreds of fake accounts from the United States, Vietnam and Georgia, which were used as part of large-scale campaigns to manipulate public opinion on the social networks Facebook and Instagram.
It is noted that these accounts used photos created using artificial intelligence technologies, which made it extremely difficult to recognize the deception with the naked eye. Nathaniel Gleicher, head of cybersecurity at Facebook, announced this.
In total, 610 accounts, 89 pages and 156 groups on the social network Facebook, as well as 72 Instagram accounts were blocked. The Facebook administration associates most of the blocked accounts with the Epoch Media Group, which produces the conservative publication The Epoch Times.
It is noted that as part of the campaign, about $ 9 million was spent on advertising on social networks. Content posted through fake accounts was mainly intended for users from the United States and Vietnam.
In addition, the developers have identified and blocked a fairly large network of fake accounts in Georgia. It included 39 accounts and over 300 pages. It is assumed that this network is connected with the Georgian government, and its purpose was to form a positive opinion about the current government and criticize opposition parties.
Facebook says that the detected fake accounts clearly demonstrate how the tools used to misinform and manipulate public opinion are evolving. Photos for fake profiles were created using algorithms based on machine learning neural networks. However, a Facebook spokesperson noted that the photos created in this way do not interfere with the company's automated systems to detect fake accounts, since this process is based on an analysis of the behavior of accounts.
Source: 3dnews.ru