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France 24
France 24
World
NEWS WIRES

Facebook shuts thousands of fake Chinese accounts masquerading as Americans

Meta on November 30, 2023 warned that deceptive Facebook campaigns based in China were taking aim at 2024 elections in the US and elsewhere. © Dado Ruvic, Reuters

Someone in China created thousands of fake social media accounts designed to appear to be from Americans and used them to spread polarizing political content in an apparent effort to divide the U.S. ahead of next year's elections, Meta said Thursday. 

The network of nearly 4,800 fake accounts was attempting to build an audience when it was identified and eliminated by the tech company, which owns Facebook and Instagram. The accounts sported fake photos, names and locations as a way to appear like everyday American Facebook users weighing in on political issues.

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