A Russian advertising agency tried to discredit vaccines with a disinformation campaign. Influencers should spread the misinformation. Facebook tries to prevent this – and accepts a dispute with the US government for it.
Facebook has stopped an international campaign to spread false information about corona vaccinations. As the US company said on Tuesday, a Russian advertising agency tried to smear fake news on various online platforms. The campaign attracted attention after influencers in Germany and France did research and sounded the alarm.
The Russian company Fazze was behind the campaign. This had operated a “false information washing system”, said Facebook. The aim was for trustworthy people to share disinformation online with a large following.
The campaign was primarily aimed at India and Latin America, but also the USA. It was about bringing corona vaccines into disrepute, the approval of which was just being debated.
Facebook warns influencers: “Do your own research”
The hope was that the influencers would not do their “homework”, said Ben Nimmo, who is responsible for tracking down false information at Facebook. Two of the influencers contacted had investigated. “It’s really a warning,” said Nimmo, appealing to the influencers: “Be careful if someone wants to sell you a story. Do your own research.”
According to its own information, Facebook had removed 65 accounts from the online platform of the same name and 243 accounts from the Instagram subsidiary, which specializes in images, that were connected to the campaign. In addition, Fazze had been banned from the platforms.
Attacks on Astrazeneca and Biontech
The misinformation campaign therefore had several stages: At the end of last year, it was primarily aimed at the Astrazeneca vaccine. Fake accounts shared a banner claiming the vaccine would turn people into chimps. A few months later, the Biontech / Pfizer vaccine was also attacked. Attempts were also made to distribute a document allegedly leaked in a hacking attack on Astrazeneca.
The organizers not only used Facebook’s platforms, but also created misleading articles and online petitions on Reddit, Medium and Change.org. Fazze then e-mailed references to these articles to the influencers, a few of whom sounded the alarm and thus brought journalists on the trail of the campaign.
According to media reports, Fazze is a subsidiary of AdNow, a UK-registered advertising company. Facebook does not know who hired the company for the misinformation campaign, said Nathaniel Gleicher, who is responsible for the security strategy. Facebook shared its findings with the responsible authorities and other platforms.
According to the company, the campaign had little overall success. Photos on Instagram received little support and petitions made in English and Hindi received fewer than 1,000 signatures each.
More false claims: Twitter bans congressman’s account
According to Facebook, there are increasing campaigns that use influencers to spread false information. The company is currently arguing with the US government about how to contain fake news about the corona pandemic. Meanwhile, the government itself is relying on influencers to convince people of corona vaccinations.
The Internet service Twitter also blocked US Congressman Marjorie Taylor Greene on Tuesday due to false claims about Covid vaccinations. This had claimed in a tweet on Monday that the vaccines had “failed” and would not help contain the coronavirus. The supporter of the former US President Donald Trump was banned for a week, according to the company “for repeatedly disregarding the Twitter rules”.
If the Republican breaks the rules again, she faces a permanent ban. The politician accused Twitter of banning her for telling the “truth” and tweeting what “a lot of people say”.
David William is a talented author who has made a name for himself in the world of writing. He is a professional author who writes on a wide range of topics, from general interest to opinion news. David is currently working as a writer at 24 hours worlds where he brings his unique perspective and in-depth research to his articles, making them both informative and engaging.
