Facebook removes pro-Trump network based in Romania ahead of US polls

Facebook on July 6 said that it took down a small network of accounts promoting US President Donald Trump's re-election campaign from Romania. The social media giant on Thursday said that it removed 35 Facebook accounts and 88 Instagram handles because they were sharing posts on its platforms posing as Americans, which it described as coordinated inauthentic behaviour. According to the American social media conglomerate, the Romania-based network it took down on Thursday had a combined reach of 1,600 followers on Facebook and 7,200 on Instagram through the handles it operated on its platforms. 

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"We removed 35 Facebook accounts, 3 Pages, and 88 Instagram accounts. This activity originated in Romania and focused on the US. We found this network as part of our investigation into suspected coordinated inauthentic behavior ahead of the 2020 election in the US. Much of the activity we removed in July was linked to commercial entities and individuals associated with political campaigns and political offices. Our teams will continue to find, remove and expose these coordinated manipulation campaigns, but we know these threats extend beyond our platform and no single organization can tackle them alone," Facebook said in its report adding that it has removed a total of 798 accounts related to coordinated inauthentic behaviour. 

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FB removing Trump's post

This comes days after the company had removed a post by Donald Trump, which it said violated its rules against sharing misinformation regarding the coronavirus pandemic. According to reports, the deleted post contained a video clip from one of Trump's recent interview wherein he asserted that children were ‘almost immune from COVID-19’. Facebook spokesperson Andy Stone in a statement said that the video was taken down because it contained 'false claims' suggesting that a particular group of people is immune from COVID-19 despite facts stating otherwise. 

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This was the first time when Facebook had taken any action against the United States President. Facebook in June was facing a lot of criticism for not taking strict action against Donald Trump and his allies following which many companies stalled advertisements demanding the social media company to act in wake of George Floyd protests. Facebook, following increasing scrutiny, had removed advertisements run by the Trump campaign for reportedly using a Nazi symbol in June. Meanwhile, Twitter Inc has taken repeated actions against Donald Trump, from flagging his posts to sometimes even removing it, for sharing misinformation on the platform. 

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