Facebook shuts down an Israeli firm’s effort to influence politics in West Africa
Linked to a shadowy company called Archimedes Group
Facebook today said it detected dozens of Facebook accounts that were engaging in what it calls “coordinated inauthentic behavior,” which is the company’s broad phrase for election interference and other forms of public manipulation via news and social media, directed primarily at West African countries. More notable, however, is the source: Israel.
This is the first time Facebook says it’s detected such activity from the country, and Facebook even names an Israeli commercial entity, Archimedes Group, that it says was behind the behavior. The goal ostensibly was to have some type of effect on local elections and the political atmosphere, although Facebook says it can’t divine the exact intentions of the group and there is no indication that it was in any way linked to the Israeli government. Although it was centered on West African countries like Nigeria, Senegal, Togo, and Niger, Facebook also detected activity aimed at users in Angola, Tunisia, and parts of Southeast Asia and South America.

https://www.theverge.com/platform/amp/2019/5/16/18627776/facebook-election-interference-shut-down-west-africa-instagram-pages-groups-israeli-firm?__twitter_impression=true