People associated with the U.S. military created fake accounts on more than seven internet services as part of a “coordinated inauthentic” influence operation targeting people in Central Asia and the Middle East, according to Meta, the parent of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, in its report out this week.
Although the people behind the operation “attempted to conceal their identities and coordination,” Meta said, its investigation “found links to individuals associated with the U.S. military.”
A spokesperson with the U.S. Department of Defense said Thursday that it “is aware of the report published by Meta. At this time, we do not have any further comments on the report or potential actions that may be taken by the Department as a result of the report.”
Meta’s report adds more credence to the theory that the U.S. military was behind the operation, first reported in August by researchers at Graphika and the Stanford Internet Observatory.
The August report shed light on what was believed to be the first time Facebook and Twitter reported a pro-U.S. operation using methods — including fake personas and coordinated memes — that countries such as Russia and Iran employ to sow disinformation in the U.S. and elsewhere.
