Facebook takes down 652 pages after finding disinformation campaigns run from Iran and Russia

Facebook has taken down 652 pages, accounts and groups it identified as part of coordinated disinformation campaigns that originated in Iran and targeted countries around the world. It also found a number of new pages connected to Russia.
The Iran-linked pages and groups spread misinformation in the United States, United Kingdom, Latin America and the Middle East. Some of them posed as a group called "Liberty Front Press."

Facebook said the coordinated campaigns originating in Iran included 254 Facebook pages and 116 Instagram accounts that amassed more than 1 million followers across the two services. Those behind the pages spent more than $12,000 on advertisements between 2012 and 2017, the company said.

Facebook, Twitter and other social media companies have been scrambling to protect their platforms ahead of the US midterm elections in November and prevent a repeat of the widespread disinformation seen during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company's attempts to identify fake pages, groups and accounts are making the social network safer.

"While it's still early, we're starting to see it pay off and we're identifying more of this before the election," he said on a call with reporters.