Facebook removes up to 270 fake profiles

NEW YORK: Facebook has recently removed up to 200 accounts that used fake profiles across the US.

The move was of removing 276 accounts, prompted that a pro-Trump group known as Turning Point Action was paying teenagers to post coordinated, supportive messages, a violation of Facebook’s rules.

Facebook and Twitter have been regularly removing fake accounts both domestic and foreign that try to insert themselves in the US political discourse and influence the election. However, social media companies face broader threats around misinformation that at times come from President Donald Trump himself.

The latest network Facebook removed became active before the 2018 midterm elections and went dormant until June when the accounts began posting on topics including the coronavirus pandemic, criticism of the Democratic Party and its nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden, as well as praise for Trump and other Republicans.