During the coronavirus pandemic, social media (and not only) grappled with a huge amount of false information about infections, the effects of illness, and COVID-19 vaccines.
Facebook breaks down China’s disinformation network
Two years after the pandemic started, accounts that spread fake news still exist. Facebook’s owner, the Meta conglomerate, has just crashed an entire disinformation network spreading false information on pandemic-related topics. It consisted of over 500 accounts, mostly from China, which had just been closed.
, the accounts promoted false claims about the coronavirus, citing information from Swiss biologist Wilson Edwards. The “expert” argued, inter alia, that the United States was to put pressure on the WHO to recognize that China was responsible for the outbreak of the pandemic. The biologist’s claims were quoted by some media, including Chinese state media (including CGTN).
The Swiss Embassy said Edwards was “unlikely”. Facebook admitted that the expert never really existed, and is a figment of the Chinese disinformation network.
Edwards’ character was not particularly well crafted, however. There are no scientific articles by Wilson Edwards written on the internet. The Swiss Embassy did not find a citizen of that name either.
The Meta conglomerate removed a total of 524 Facebook accounts, 20 fan pages, four groups and 86 Instagram accounts. The disinformation campaign was targeted mainly at recipients in the USA and Great Britain (in English) as well as in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Tibet (in Chinese).
Source: Gazeta
Ricardo is a renowned author and journalist, known for his exceptional writing on top-news stories. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he is known for his ability to deliver breaking news and insightful analysis on the most pressing issues of the day.
