Meta removes fake accounts in Moldova ahead of presidential election

12/10/2024 7:33

        Meta Platforms said on Friday it had removed a network of group accounts targeting Russian-speakers in Moldova ahead of the country's Oct. 20 election, for violation of the company's policy on fake accounts.
        
        Authorities in Moldova, an ex-Soviet state lying between Romania and Ukraine, said they had blocked dozens of Telegram channels and chat bots linked to a drive to pay voters to cast "no" ballots in a referendum on EU membership held alongside the presidential election.
        
        Pro-European President Maia Sandu is seeking a second term in the election and called the referendum on joining the 27-member bloc as the cornerstone of her policies.
        
        The fake Meta accounts posted criticism of Sandu, pro-EU politicians, and close ties between Moldova and Romania, and supported pro-Russia parties in Moldova, the company said.
        
        The company said its operation centered around about a dozen fictitious, Russian-language news brands posing as independent entities with presence on multiple internet services, including Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram, as well as Telegram, OK.ru and TikTok.