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Facebook may crack down on Russian government accounts to fight disinformation | Engadget

Facebook says it’s eyeing new ways to limit the influence of official Russian government accounts as it sees a surge in cyber espionage and “covert influence operations” tied to “government-linked actors” from Russia and Belarus.

Facebook’s security researchers shared the update as part of the company’s first quarterly threat report, which detailed its latest efforts to prevent its platform from being exploited amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

During a call with reporters, Meta’s President of Public Policy Nick Clegg said that the company has seen an uptick in state-backed disinformation and other efforts to sow misinformation. “Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, we’ve seen attacks on internet freedom and access to information intensified,” Clegg said. “It’s manifested itself in two ways: One focus is on pushing state propaganda through state-run media, influence operations and espionage campaigns. And the other aimed at closing down the flow of credible information.”

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Source: Facebook may crack down on Russian government accounts to fight disinformation | Engadget