Facebook and Twitter take down Russian network built to 'undermine democracy' ahead of US elections

People behind network posted about coronavirus pandemic and QAnon, social media giants say

Facebook and Twitter have been plagued with disinformation campaigns targeting elections (AFP via Getty Images)

Facebook and Twitter have taken down a network of Russia-linked accounts accused of spreading conspiracy theories and undermining democracy ahead of the US presidential elections.

The social networks attributed the campaign to the Russian Internet Research Agency (IRA), which was previously behind a major online effort to interfere with the 2016 US elections.

Thirteen Facebook accounts and two pages were removed for violating the site’s policy against foreign interference – “co-ordinated inauthentic behaviour on behalf of a foreign entity”.

Facebook said the network had achieved little reach on the platform when it was taken down.

“This network was in the early stages of building its audience, primarily on the left of the political spectrum, and saw nearly no engagement on Facebook before we removed it,” the social media giant said in its August Co-ordinated Inauthentic Behaviour Report.

“The people behind this network posted about global news and current events relevant to the countries and left-leaning communities they targeted, including social and racial justice in the US and UK, Nato and EU politics; alleged Western war crimes and corruption; environmental issues; the founder of Wikileaks; tensions between Israel and Palestine; the coronavirus pandemic; criticism of fracking; French influence in Africa; the Biden-Harris campaign; QAnon; President Trump and his policies; and the US military policies in Africa," it said.

According to Facebook’s report, the network had around 14,000 accounts following one or more of its pages, and the English language page had “a little over 200 followers”.

It said around $480 (£360) had been spent on Facebook advertising, paid for predominantly in US dollars.

The network had also attempted to gain political advertising authorisation to run such adverts in the United States.

Alongside Facebook, Twitter said it had suspended five accounts for “platform manipulation”, which it said it could “reliably attribute to Russian state actors”.

“Regardless of the low-level impact in this case, governments around the world must stop these practices,” Twitter said.

“They’re anti-democratic. Attempts to manipulate our service to undermine democracy – by both foreign and domestic actors – will be met with strict enforcement of our policies.”

Facebook’s latest Co-ordinated Inauthentic Behaviour Report also revealed a number of accounts, pages and Instagram profiles linked to a US-based strategic communications firm which was carrying out inauthentic behaviour in Venezuela, Mexico and Bolivia.

A further network of more than 450 Facebook accounts, as well as pages, groups and Instagram accounts operated from Pakistan has also been removed, which had focused on relations between Pakistan and India.

The Russian IRA was a key part of the investigation undertaken by former FBI director Robert Mueller into Russian interference in the 2016 US elections.

The resulting report concluded that the IRA was involved in an interference effort across social media aimed at benefiting Donald Trump's campaign.

Earlier this year, current FBI director Christopher Wray said attempts to interfere with US politics by Russian groups were still ongoing.

"We are seeing, and have never stopped seeing, efforts to engage in malign foreign influence by the Russians," he said at a US House Judiciary committee hearing.

Additional reporting from agencies