Facebook found fake pages and accounts from China and claims that they're trying to interrupt the United States 2020 election and other countries' political activities. The social media platform said that it had already removed the small network of fake accounts and pages.
Facebook explained that the fake accounts that originated from China not only focused on the United States. In fact, the U.S. was just a small piece of the overall activity. The company added that these fake pages are mainly targeting Southeast Asia, including the Philippines.
The accounts posted material in the United States, both against and supporting presidential candidates such as Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, and the current President Donald Trump. Although the fake pages came from China, Facebook did not directly link them to the Chinese government.
The social media platform said that the illegal network people tried to hide their identity and location using virtual private systems and other methods. On Tuesday, Sept. 22, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Homeland Security warned that cyber attackers and foreign actors were likely to spread misinformation regarding the election results.
The security agencies said that cybercriminals would most likely discredit the election process through fake websites and social media content.
United States officials warned about other countries' that could disrupt the 2020 U.S. election
In August, the U.S. intelligence officials warned that other countries' efforts, such as China, Iran, and Russia, could be made to interfere in the 2020 election. William Evanina, the country's chief counterintelligence official, said that officials found out that Beijing considers Trump as unpredictable and wants the U.S. president to lose against Biden.
The August public assessment explained that China had been expanding its influence operations ahead of the 2020 election. It was also stated the country wants to shape the policy environment in the U.S. and had been weighing the cons and pros of taking more aggressive action.
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Written by Giuliano J. de Leon
