Facebook said on Thursday it banned an Israeli company that ran an influence campaign aimed at disrupting elections in various countries and has canceled dozens of accounts engaged in spreading disinformation.
Nathaniel Gleicher, Facebook's head of cybersecurity policy, told reporters that the tech giant had purged 65 Israeli accounts, 161 pages, dozens of groups and four Instagram accounts. Many were linked to a Tel Aviv-based political consulting and lobbying firm that boasts of its social media skills and ability to "change reality," the tech giant said.
Gleicher said Facebook could not speculate about the company's motives, which "may be commercial or political."
He said that Facebook discovered "coordinated inauthentic behavior," with accounts posing as certain political candidates, smearing opponents and presenting as local news organizations peddling supposedly leaked information.
The activity appeared focused on sub-Saharan African countries but was also scattered in parts of Southeast Asia and Latin America. The pages have racked up 2.8 million followers and hundreds of thousands of views.
Gleicher said the Tel Aviv company had spent some $800,000 on fake ads and that its deceptive activity dated back to 2012. He said Facebook has banned the company. (Israel Hayom has chosen not to reveal its name until it reacts to the accusation.)
Facebook has come under pressure to more aggressively and transparently tackle misinformation aimed at sowing division and confusion around elections, since the revelation that Russia used Facebook to sway the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
On its website, the company presents itself as a consulting firm involved in campaigns for presidential elections.
The site features a montage of stock photos from Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. A message seeking comment from the company was not immediately returned.
