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How Honduras Facebook Users Were Manipulated During the Election
If you’ve ever wondered how Honduras Facebook users were manipulated during the election, this article is for you. We’ll look at a Disinformation campaign on Facebook and how a data scientist uncovered it. The Honduran government used fake pages to spread pro-Hernandez messages and artificially boost their popularity, using a process called astroturfing. Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez is an authoritarian right-winger who has used disinformation to attack critics and undermine social movements.
Disinformation campaign on facebook in Honduras
There’s been an unprecedented disinformation campaign on Facebook in Honduras, and the evidence suggests that the government was using thousands of fake assets to manipulate its citizens. Moreover, a Honduran researcher has unearthed evidence of a Mexican PR firm that was using the social networking platform to spread false stories. This may interest you : How to Change Facebook Email Address – How to Change Your Primary Email Address on Facebook. The firm was mimicking authentic Latin American news outlets to spread their fake stories, which were then shared on the pages of Honduran citizens.
The disinformation campaign on Facebook in Honduras is based on disinformation about the country’s former president Manuel Zelaya. The disinformation campaign claimed that the organizers of the protests were controlled by Manuel Zelaya, the former president of Honduras. Nevertheless, despite these accusations, the organizers of the protests denied having any connection to Zelaya. The disinformation campaign impacted the people’s psychological health.
The disinformation campaign on Facebook in Honduras’ election was coordinated by a team of cybersecurity experts from Nisos, a firm based in Virginia. The researchers discovered that the social media accounts were fake “bots,” and that they were linked to Peruvian Facebook pages. The aim was to spread conspiracy theories about the opposition candidates and to discourage Hondurans from casting their votes. However, the campaign has been stopped, and the social media sites are reportedly investigating the disinformation campaign.
Fake pages promote pro-Hernandez messages
The Hernandez campaign has repeatedly returned to Facebook in response to the company’s warnings. Guy Rosen, Facebook’s vice president for integrity, said the social media platform should prioritize influence operations that target the US and western Europe, namely Russia. On the same subject : Is There a Facebook Group For Widows and Widowers?. Until July, when Hernandez’s Page was taken down, its administrator had listed the Honduran presidential palace, where he had taken photos of the interior.
The Honduran president has been accused of artificially inflating posts to boost their popularity by using fake pages on Facebook. This is a form of disinformation known as astroturfing, or a bussed-in crowd. Honduran officials have been accused of using disinformation to target critics and undermine social movements, including the protests. As Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez is an authoritarian right winger who has been accused of using social media to attack opponents, the Honduran government has been increasingly leveraging disinformation on the website to make its political life difficult.
Data scientist uncovers campaign
In August 2018, a data scientist from Facebook discovered a coordinated Facebook campaign in Honduras using fake accounts to spread content and boost engagement. He discovered that Hernandez’s staff had been directly involved in the operation by running dozens of fake profiles and posing as Hondurans and businesses. On the same subject : How to Get Your Facebook Account Back. The data scientist reported the activity to Facebook’s threat intelligence team, who took months to investigate the case.
Zhang’s team had several tools available to uncover the campaigns. They chose not to share those tools with the rest of the world. Instead, the team relies on open source data and technological know-how to identify fake accounts. They use free applications, including Botslayer and Hoaxy. The tools are not Facebook-specific, but the names are appropriate for the work. After Zhang’s findings, Citizen Lab Honduras is committed to continuing the work of Zhang and the team.
The revelations reveal how powerful Facebook’s algorithms are in spreading fake content. Earlier this year, Zhang began thinking about coming forward. She wanted to give the official Facebook systems time to work. She also was worried that she would be the single point of failure, and needed a second set of eyes to analyze the data. However, she saw the change in policy and the dismantling of the fake network run by Honduran President Juan Orlando Santos as a step in the right direction. She said she was frequently called upon to respond to emergencies and was repeatedly praised for her work.
