Tech Desk, AnyTV, Moscow/Kyiv
Published by: Pradeep Pandey
Updated Tue, 01 Mar 2022 10:58 AM IST
Summary
Meta investigation revealed that these people used artificial intelligence-generated headshots as profile pictures and posed as news editors, former aviation engineers, and a scientific publication.
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Expansion
According to Facebook’s parent company Meta, people from the Russian-dominated regions of Russia, the Donbass and Crimea posted false information about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, although the page had only about 4,000 followers. Many fake profiles were also involved in sharing wrong information.
Meta investigation revealed that these people used artificial intelligence-generated headshots as profile pictures and posed as news editors, former aviation engineers, and a scientific publication. At the same time, Belarus-based hackers group hacked several accounts and used them to promote anti-Ukrainian and pro-Russian propaganda.
Hackers also used phishing attacks to target journalists, military personnel and local public officials in Ukraine, and shared edited videos from the hacked accounts showing Ukrainian soldiers as vulnerable and surrendering to Russia. Facebook has identified the hacker as a ghostwriter who allegedly works for the Belarusian government.
Twitter said an account posing as an independent news outlet claimed that Ukrainian soldiers welcomed Russian troops with open arms. These accounts also claimed that the Ukrainian military was using civilians as human shields. and is also using banned weapons of war. All these handles were linked to a site named Ukraine Today. These accounts have now been deleted.
Twitter said that on February 27, dozens of accounts were permanently suspended and several accounts were blocked due to policy violations and spam. Twitter said that its investigation is continuing and further action will be taken.