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Facebook removes hundreds of accounts centering around elections in Kyrgyzstan

Facebook Inc. reported that it suspended over 17 disinformation networks, including 2,800 accounts and pages, on its platforms in December.

The U.S. tech giant has suspended them for using fake identities and other forms of so-called «coordinated inauthentic behavior.»

The activity spanned 11 countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Morocco, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.

The networks in these countries focused mostly on forthcoming elections and were run by domestic groups, Facebook said.

The company removed 193 Facebook accounts, 246 pages, 50 groups and 30 Instagram accounts that originated in Kyrgyzstan and targeted domestic audiences. This network was linked to individuals in Kyrgyzstan with backgrounds in media consulting.

Other 92 Facebook accounts, four pages, 11 groups and 30 Instagram accounts were also removed. This domestic-focused activity originated in Kyrgyzstan and focused primarily on commenting on their content and also on posts by a political party and popular news pages.

The company also suspended 121 Facebook accounts, 46 pages, seven groups and 41 Instagram accounts that originated in Kyrgyzstan and targeted domestic audiences.

«Our investigation found links to individuals in Kyrgyzstan with a background in media and government, and also a media company called Media Center. This activity centered around the 2020 Parliamentary election and the 2021 snap presidential election while playing on multiple sides of the political debate at once,» Facebook report says.

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