Apr 28, 2017
Facebook 'observed propaganda efforts' by governments
The firm has seen "False news, disinformation, or networks of fake accounts aimed at manipulating public opinion", it revealed in a new report. Fake accounts were created to spread information stolen from email accounts during the 2016 US presidential election, the firm noted, though it said the volume of such activity was "Statistically very small". In general, Facebook said it faced a new challenge in tackling "Subtle and insidious forms of misuse, including attempts to manipulate civic discourse and deceive people". Facebook described much of the activity as "False amplification" - which included the mass creation of fake accounts; the coordinated sharing of content and engagement with that content; and the distribution of "Inflammatory and sometimes racist memes". These included building new products to help stamp out fake news and creating new systems - some with artificial intelligence capabilities - to help quicken the response to reports of fake accounts or spam.
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