3 April 2018 the administration of the social network Facebook announced the lock 70 of 138 accounts and pages associated with the activities of the Russian Agency Internet research (FIA), which people called «Troll factory«. In addition, were blocked 65 accounts of the social network Instagram. Under «cleaning» also got a page of Department of economic policy of Moscow city hall.
Photo: Facebook sample
Stringent action against the FIA in the social network explained in a systematic violation of Facebook policy. According to the head of the security Department of the company Alex Stamos, a «Troll factory» regularly used the social network to manipulate public opinion and distort information.
Almost 95% of the content hosted on the blocked pages that were intended for Russian-speaking people around the world. Among the countries in which the effect of these accounts was particularly notable, including Russia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. Was also removed the accounts of several media, associated with the Academy. Some pages had several hundred thousand subscribers, and one of them — more than a million.
Under lock and hit the page of the Department of the Moscow city hall. Despite the fact that its representatives strongly deny their connection with the «Troll factory», the staff of Facebook has found evidence to the contrary. The company revealed on the page the content posted by Gleb Vasil, one of the 13 citizens of Russia suspects the US of meddling in the presidential election of 2016.
Photo: Facebook sample
Facebook had previously taken the restrictions of the Academy, but this time the situation is much more serious. Representatives of the social network stated that they no longer wish to have anything to do with «trolls» and they will strongly resist its illegal activities.
«Until now, our action against the FIA was mainly taken in order to prevent interference in elections in other countries. The current solution involves the removal of their pages which are aimed at people living in Russia. This is a Russian Agency regularly acted and deceitful methods of trying to manipulate people in USA, Europe and Russia. And we don’t want to work through Facebook», — commented mark Zuckerberg.
Today it became known that a scandal involving the theft of data of 50 million users of the social network company Cambridge Analytica, may go to a new stage of development. Mike Cropperoccupying the position of chief technical Director of Facebook, admitted that the British firm could possess a significantly greater number of personal data. This figure is 87 million people.
Much of the stolen information belongs to the citizens of the United States. This reinforces the suspicions of the experts regarding the use of personal data of citizens of America in the formation of a narrow political advertising. Given the fact that Cambridge Analytica worked with his campaign of Donald trump, several civic organizations demanded the U.S. Department of justice to verify the possible correlation between the stolen data and success of the trump in the presidential election.
