Facebook Blocks 783 Pages Linked to Iran

On Thursday, Facebook announced that it has shut down hundreds of accounts and pages from Iran that exhibited coordinated behavior across 20 countries. According to AFP, the largest social network in the world stated that it blocked 783 pages, groups, and accounts due to 'unreliable coordinated behavior' linked to Iran. Nathaniel Gleicher, head of cybersecurity policy at Facebook, mentioned that these pages were promoting the views and interests of the Iranian government as if they were citizens of various countries on Facebook and Instagram. He added that they can prove the content of these pages originates from Iran and is controlled by individuals within the country, often rebroadcasting content from Iranian state media. However, he noted that they are not in a position to identify who is behind these actions. Facebook has previously reported on the removal of pages and accounts linked to Iran. Over the past year, Facebook has faced pressure to combat fake accounts. Gleicher further stated that they are continuously working to identify and stop such activities, as they do not want the platform to be used to mislead people. Earlier this year, Facebook also announced it had blocked 652 pages and accounts linked to Iran and Russia for 'unreliable coordinated behavior'. On August 8, Facebook stated that it removed 32 pages and accounts from Facebook and Instagram to counter foreign interference in U.S. elections, claiming these pages aimed to mislead users and organize rallies before the elections. Last year, Facebook indicated that a Russian campaign attempted to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election through advertising and content dissemination on its platform.