Meta Deletes 134 Accounts on Instagram, Facebook Over Targeting Scots With Pro-Independence Memes

Meta, formerly known as Facebook, has faced backlash from governments due to its social media platforms becoming breeding grounds for disinformation, namely conspiracy theories surrounding 5G technology and COVID-19.

The company Meta has reported deleting some 134 fake accounts on Instagram and Facebook over "inauthentic behaviour", claiming that they were linked to "individuals in Iran" and that they mostly targeted UK users. These accounts tried to pose as locals from England and Scotland and used either AI-generated profile photos or images of celebrities and media personalities from the UK and Iraq, the company said.

The deleted accounts had a total of 77,000 unique followers across the said social media platforms.

One of the Instagram posts, which Meta brought up as an example of the activity of the downed network of fake accounts linked to Iran

© Photo : Meta

According to Meta, the removed accounts were engaged in posting photos and memes that mocked current events in the UK, such as the introduction of pandemic restrictions, as well as materials supportive of Scottish independence. The company also claimed that the fake accounts "organised" their content around hashtags promoting Scottish independence, which they sometimes misspelled.

One of the Instagram posts, which Meta brought up as an example of the activity of the downed network of fake accounts linked to Iran

© Photo : Meta

Meta believes that these accounts were created as part of a coordinated effort and claimed that despite the attempts to hide their origin, the company managed to pin the network to people in Iran. Furthermore, Meta suggested that some of the people involved in creating the alleged network of fake UK accounts, could have been teaching English as a foreign language in Iran. The company additionally noted that the accounts it removed were related to the network it downed in December 2020, also linked to Iran.

The social media giant now routinely reports targeting and taking down fake accounts over "inauthentic behaviour" following accusations that Facebook and other platforms have become breeding grounds for spreading conspiracy theories, misinformation, as well as organised efforts by foreign countries to meddle in foreign affairs. In its January 2022 report, Meta mentioned deleting a total of 151 Instagram accounts and 61 more on Facebook alongside 305 pages on the social media platform in December 2021 over inauthentic behaviour.