Facebook removes 687 pages linked to Congress party for ‘inauthentic behavior’

Guwahati, April 1, 2019:

Social media giants Facebook on Sunday removed 687 pages linked to the Indian National Congress due to alleged ‘inauthentic behavior’. It is part of the crackdown on fake accounts and spam ahead of the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.

Facebook has stated that these pages were part of coordinated networks and were removed for “inauthentic behavior” and for pushing spam.

Moreover, Facebook has removed 103 pages, groups and accounts on its platform and Instagram for engaging in similar behavior as part of a network that originated in Pakistan.

"The reason we removed them is coordinated inauthentic behavior," Facebook's Nathaniel Gleicher said. He further asserted that the pages were not removed because of the content that was being shared. Gleicher also stated that the accounts were being run by people belonging to the Congress IT cell. The accounts were suspended Facebook’s automated systems.

It may be mentioned that Facebook, which has been criticized as it is being used to spread misinformation by miscreants, is ramping up efforts to ensure that its platform is not used to spread misinformation.