Facebook deletes dozens of misleading pages and groups in 3 Arab countries

The social media platform Facebook has deleted dozens of misleading pages, accounts and groups in three Arab countries.

In a statement released on Friday, Facebook revealed closing 35 pages, three groups, 89 Facebook accounts, and 16 Instagram accounts linked to Jordanian security and military forces.

The company’s statement announced that these accounts published content supporting Jordan’s King Abdullah II and the Jordanian army. It also claimed that Prince Hamzah Bin Hussein, the king’s half-brother, was readily willing to sacrifice Islamic sites in Jerusalem in exchange for his growing political role.

In Algeria, Facebook revealed that it had dismantled a disinformation network including 130 accounts, 221 pages and 35 groups, as well as 29 Instagram accounts, mainly targeting local public opinion.

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The network was linked to individuals in the country, some of whom worked for Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s 2019 election campaign.

Facebook also announced the cancellation of 53 accounts, 51 pages, three groups and 18 Instagram accounts in Sudan that primarily targeted local public opinion and have been proven to have ties to individuals in the country, some of whom are linked to the National Movement for Reform and Development (NMRD).

Over the past two years, Facebook has hired employees with experience in areas such as intelligence, law enforcement and journalism to form the team that detects and stops coordinated campaigns on its platforms, including ubiquitous country-related disinformation.

Facebook had previously announced the deletion of millions of accounts, groups and pages last year that were sources of fake news related to politics and other fields.