Social Media News: Facebook Shuts Down Disinformation Networks Tied To Egypt, India Marketing Firms

Social media giant Facebook announced Monday that the company had shut down two disinformation networks tied to Egyptian and Indian marketing firms. The company banned hundreds of users accounts and pages as part of the crackdown.

The first disinformation network was tied to Egyptian marketing firms New Waves and Flexell. The network posted negative information about Qatar and positive content about the United Arab Emirates.

In 2017, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt began an embargo against Qatar, accusing the small country of supporting terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda and ISIS. Doha denies the allegations and said that it has assisted the United States in fighting terrorism.

The second disinformation network was tied to Indian marketing firm aRep Global, with accounts posting pro-Qatar messages and criticisms of Saudi Arabia, along with the UAE. The accounts pretended to be journalists and activists.

Network analysis firm Graphika said in a report that the campaign tied to aRep Global "was a case of online influence for hire, conducted at the behest of a geopolitical actor with concerns in the Gulf."

Facebook has been frequently weeding out disinformation on the social media platform, after concerns about Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. In February, dozens of accounts linked to Russian and Iranian propaganda efforts were banned due to "coordinated inauthentic behavior on behalf of a government or foreign actor.”

In October, the company took down accounts tied to a Russian troll factory, which targeted African countries such as Sudan and Libya.