People connected to the government of Saudi Arabia have run a network of fake accounts and pages on Facebook to promote state propaganda and attack regional rivals, Facebook says.
Reuters detailed an expansive Iranian-backed campaign last year and Riyadh has been accused of using the same tactics to attack regional rival Qatar and spread disinformation following the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.Saudi Arabia has repeatedly denied any involvement in Khashoggi's death. Along with allies, it maintains a trade and diplomatic boycott of Qatar, accusing it of terrorism which Qatar denies.
"Any time we have a link between an information operation and a government, that's significant and people should be aware." "They would typically post in Arabic about regional news and political issues. They would talk about things like Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman - his internal and economic social reform plan, the successes of the Saudi armed forces, particularly during the conflict in Yemen," said Gleicher.
A copy of one of the Saudi posts released by Facebook on Thursday showed the crown prince kissing the bandaged head of a patient in a hospital bed. The Arabic caption reads:"His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman kisses the head of a wounded soldier."Social media companies are under mounting pressure to help stop illicit political influence online.
Facebook has publicly announced 11 takedowns of"inauthentic behavior" stemming from 13 different countries so far this year. The most recent announcement last week included accounts run by people in Thailand, Russia, Ukraine and Honduras.
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Facebook announces first takedown of influence campaign with ties to Saudi governmentFacebook says it has found evidence of something security experts have long suspected: People tied to the Saudi Arabian government have been running covert campaigns on Facebook and Instagram to boost support for the kingdom and attack its enemies
Read more »
Iran claims Saudi Arabia killed '3000+ Americans' and still gets to have nuclear weaponsThe Trump administration has been accused of illicitly transferring nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia, which has threatened to build a nuclear bomb if Iran did.
Read more »
Turkish President Erdogan, Saudi King talk on phoneIn a phone call, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has offered condolences to the Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud, whose brother Bandar bin Abdulaziz al Saud recently died at the age of 96.
Read more »
Saudi Arabia must release women’s human rights defenders immediately!Today is Saudi activist Loujain Al Hathloul's 30th birthday, and the 2nd birthday she has spent in prison, where she has reportedly been tortured + sexually abused. In April her sister Lina took to the WITW stage to make a desperate plea to FreeLoujain.
Read more »
Iran says it's prepared for dialogue if Saudi Arabia also readyIran is prepared for dialogue if Saudi Arabia is also ready, Iranian Foreign Min...
Read more »
UK start-up Babylon Health to reportedly receive investment from Saudi wealth fundSaudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund is reportedly planning to invest in U.K. start-up Babylon Health, in a deal that would put give the company 'unicorn' status.
Read more »