
© Dado Ruvic / Reuters
Facebook and Twitter have reported successes in battling alleged information manipulation by Iran-linked accounts. However, an overexcited mainstream media eager to expose 'Russian meddling' did not hesitate to blame Moscow.
"We've removed 652 Pages, groups and accounts for
coordinated inauthentic behavior that originated in Iran and targeted people across multiple internet services in the Middle East, Latin America, UK and US," Facebook
wrote, in a long blogpost detailing the suspicious behavior, allegedly linked to Tehran. The company noted that they were acting based on a tip from a cybersecurity firm FireEye,
known for its work in exposing 'Russian hackers' and funding the controversial Center for European Policy Analysis.
Nearly simultaneously, Twitter
announced that "working with our industry peers today, we have suspended 284 accounts from Twitter for engaging in
coordinated manipulation. Based on our existing analysis, it appears many of these accounts originated from Iran."
The news probably wouldn't get that much attention, if Facebook did not mention Russia in the very end of their blogpost, explicitly calling it a totally "unrelated" case.
Comment: See also: Lavrov: 'Secret directive' bans UN agencies from helping rebuild Syria until 'political transition'