Individuals linked to the French military have been accused Tuesday by Facebook of targeting regions in Africa with a secret influence operation, according to reports.
Facebook staff said the company could not say whether the operation was orchestrated by the French military specifically, reported CNN Business.
Facebook accused people linked to the French military of running a covert online influence operation targeting parts of Africa. It is the first time Facebook has publicly linked a campaign like this to individuals connected to a Western military. https://t.co/NFrQJgMFK7
— CNN International (@cnni) December 15, 2020
The covert operation reportedly targeted the “Central African Republic and Mali, and to a lesser extent Niger, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire and Chad,” according to Facebook.
The campaign was reportedly just like misinformation campaigns run by the Russian government, according to CNN Business.
Roughly 100 Facebook and Instagram accounts were allegedly linked to people with ties to the French military. The pages reportedly had around 5,000 followers on Facebook.
Facebook announced Tuesday that it had removed the accounts, according to CNN Business. (Facebook’s Former Security Chief Shames Big Tech, Twitter For Not Banning Chinese-State Media)
Facebook also reportedly said that they removed accounts posing as Africans that were linked to Russian troll groups.
This was reportedly the first time Facebook has publicly linked a campaign to individuals with ties to a Western military.
The Russian government continually denies using social media for foreign interference despite U.S. intelligence suggesting otherwise, reported CNN Business.