Meta removes Israeli-linked fake accounts

By Yasin Gungor

ISTANBUL (AA) - Facebook's parent company Meta has removed hundreds of fake Facebook accounts operated by an Israeli marketing firm that targeted audiences in the US and Canada, according to its adversarial threat report published on Wednesday.

The company said it identified 510 Facebook accounts, 11 Pages, one group, and 32 Instagram accounts involved in coordinated inauthentic behavior.

“These accounts, originating from Israel, primarily focused on the Israel-Hamas war and Middle Eastern politics,” Meta stated.

The posts, mostly in English, included calls for the release of hostages, praise for Israel’s military actions, and criticism of campus antisemitism and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).

The report also noted that some text comments were likely generated using artificial intelligence.

The individuals behind the operation used fake and compromised accounts, and even purchased inauthentic engagement from Vietnam to boost their content's apparent popularity, said Facebook's parent company.

Meta traced the activity back to STOIC, a political marketing and business intelligence firm based in Tel Aviv. Meta said it has banned STOIC following this discovery.