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Facebook Busts Dozens of Fake Accounts Tied to Brazil’s Bolsonaro, Security Chief Says

© REUTERS / Adriano MachadoBrazil's President Jair Bolsonaro adjusts his mask as he leaves Alvorada Palace, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Brasilia, Brazil May 13, 2020
Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro adjusts his mask as he leaves Alvorada Palace, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Brasilia, Brazil May 13, 2020 - Sputnik International
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More than 70 accounts used to spread divisive messages are said to be linked to employees of Brazilian President Bolsonaro, his two sons, and allied lawmakers. The president is yet to comment on the accusations, which come as his supporters are being investigated for spreading “fake news and threats” against the judiciary.

Facebook has taken down dozens of Brazilian accounts that criticized opponents of President Jair Bolsonaro and downplayed the severity of the coronavirus pandemic.

Nathaniel Gleicher, head of Facebook’s security policy, announced in a Wednesday blog post that the platform has removed a network of 35 accounts, 14 pages, and one group that used “duplicate and fake accounts” to pose as Brazilian reporters and news outlets.

Another 38 accounts with supposed links to the network have been deleted on Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, Gleicher said.

The accounts and pages posted “local news and events including domestic politics and elections, political memes, criticism of the political opposition, media organisations and journalists, and most recently they posted about the coronavirus pandemic,” according to the blog post.

Screenshots of removed content showed that it criticised Bolsonaro’s justice minister-turned-foe Sergio Moro and amplified the president’s claims that the coronavirus death toll in Brazil is exaggerated.

Facebook did not directly implicate Jair Bolsonaro in running the network, but confirmed that an investigation found that the accounts used to spread divisive messages had links to unnamed figures associated with the Social Liberal Party, which Bolsonaro left last year, and staffers of lawmakers Anderson Moraes and Alana Passos, Bolsonaro’s two sons Eduardo and Flavio, and the president himself.

“What we can prove is that employees of those offices are engaged on our platforms in this type of behavior,' Gleicher told Reuters before the post was published.

Forensic researchers from the Washington-based Atlantic Council, who analysed the suspicious activity, said among those who registered and ran the accounts were five current and former political staffers. Some of those accounts spread “hyper-partisan views” supporting President Bolsonaro and attacking his critics, researchers claimed. Bolsonaro is yet to comment on the story.

Facebook’s crackdown comes during a deepening political crisis in Brazil, where the Supreme Court in April authorised a federal investigation into the president on allegations of corruption and obstruction of justice brought by Sergio Moro.

The following month, police raided the homes and offices of key Bolsonaro backers – officials, businessmen and social media influencers – over a separate investigation into allegations of spreading fake news and threats against the country’s Supreme Court on social media.

The president, who frequently clashes with the court over rulings that limit his authority, accused the opposition of orchestrating the raids, which were authorised by the Supreme Court, in an alleged attempt to oust him from office and stifle free speech.

Facebook has come under intense pressure from social justice activists and faced a boycott from advertisers because of its relatively lax policy on divisive speech. In recent weeks it has been forced to make a number of concessions in response to the push for tougher restrictions.

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