Goal this Thursday (7) announced that it has crashed a network. fake profiles on facebook and instagram The person involved in spreading fake news about environmental causes, especially deforestation in the Amazon. According to grand technology, the accounts were operated by two military personnel from the Brazilian Army.
The Graphika agency, hired by the Facebook owner to investigate the case, points out that the disinformation operation took place in two stages. The first began in 2020, with the publication of memes about social and political causes. new coronavirus pandemic and agrarian reform.
The operators terminated the activity before they could achieve the desired participation, but resumed the project in 2021. In the second phase, pages of fake NGOs allegedly working on environmental issues in the state of Amazonas and profiles of fictitious activists were created.
Profiles have posted content about deforestation in the region, arguing that the process isn’t always harmful, criticizing legitimate organizations for the fires. In addition to memes, you’ll find some from traditional media, nature photographers, and Green Peacetrying to express more credibility.
dismantling the net
According to the Graphika report, A web of disinformation about Amazon It consisted of 14 accounts and nine Facebook pages, in addition to 39 Instagram accounts. The group spent about $34 on ads on both platforms to increase the reach of the posts.
Among the fake pages, some, such as the “Sustainable Amazon”, “NaturAmazon” and “Verde Mais” profiles, caught the attention of researchers. They all cited the wrong addresses—for example, the address on NaturAmazon belongs to a pet store in Manaus—and lauded the internationally criticized performance of the federal government in the environmental sector.
On the other hand, the work of authentic NGOs in Turkey amazon defense It hasn’t always been endorsed by the fake profiles that make up the group like “O Fiscal das ONGs”. He also accused members of organizations critical of the government’s environmental policy of committing crimes such as embezzlement of funds.
According to the document, the networked accounts were still active in sharing statistics and news about deforestation, which somehow favored the government and military to fight deforestation in the Amazon. All the images posted featured the logo and links of the so-called entities trying to express credibility and attract new followers.
Operators had ties to the Army
A network of fake NGOs and fake profiles was discovered as a result of an investigation. suspicion coordinated inauthentic behaviorviolates the usage policies of both platforms. The group also used photos created with artificial intelligence techniques to feed the accounts.
During the investigation, the agency reached out to two unidentified men who served in the Brazilian Army until at least December 2021. The duo are said to be responsible for running the fake profiles, but it is unknown whether they acted on their own or on the orders of a third party.
The military has yet to comment on the case.
Source: Tec Mundo
