HUNDREDS OF FAKE ACCOUNTS BANNED

Facebook has identified and banned hundreds of accounts, groups and pages engaged in misleading political behaviour, a far larger discovery than a “sophisticated” effort reported three weeks ago.

The social network said Tuesday that it had removed 652 pages, groups, and accounts linked to Russia and Iran for “co-ordinated inauthentic behaviour.”

Facebook has stepped up policing of its platform since last year, when it acknowledged that Russian agents ran political influence operations on its platform that were aimed at swaying the 2016 presidential election.

Facebook’s action in July against 32 accounts possibly linked to Russia generally involved U.S. political activity ahead of the midterms. By contrast, the latest fake accounts appeared more intent on influencing U.S. foreign policy and regional politics in the Middle East.