HIGHLIGHTS

Meta stated that their research uncovered connections to persons in Iran.

Meta claimed to have taken down a network that was mostly based in Mexico.

Some of the bogus accounts utilised profile images that were most likely developed using artificial intelligence.

WHY IN NEWS

Facebook parent Meta Platforms said on Thursday that it has taken down a network of phoney accounts that started in Iran and targeted Instagram users in Scotland with posts advocating Scottish independence. According to Meta, the network utilised bogus accounts to impersonate residents in England and Scotland, uploading photographs and memes about current events as well as criticism of the UK government. According to the firm, the accounts organised their material around common hashtags that promoted the cause, albeit they occasionally misspelt them. The accounts also made posts on football and UK places, presumably to make the fictitious identities appear more real.

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According to Meta, some of the fraudulent accounts utilised profile photographs that were presumably developed using AI techniques, while others used photos of UK and Iraqi media stars and celebrities as profile pictures. Scots chose 55 percent to 45 percent to stay in the United Kingdom in a referendum on independence in 2014, but Brexit and the British government's handling of the COVID-19 situation have strengthened support for independence and demands for a second ballot among Scots. Meta said its research turned several connections to persons in Iran, including those who had previously taught English as a foreign language.

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It claimed the operation had some ties to a tiny Iran-based network it shut down in December 2020, which largely used bogus accounts to target Arabic, French, and English-speaking audiences, but it didn't go into depth about who could be behind it. In a press briefing, Ben Nimmo, Meta's global threat intelligence head for influence operations, said, 'We've observed a spectrum of operations coming from Iran over the previous few years.' 'It's not a one-size-fits-all atmosphere.' In December, the social media giant announced that it had banned eight Facebook profiles and 126 Instagram accounts from the current network for breaking its rules against coordinated inauthentic conduct.