Facebook removed 687 pages, accounts linked to Congress, BJP ahead of polls

Less than two weeks before India’s general elections, Facebook said on Monday it has taken down over 1,100 pages, groups, and accounts from the platform as well as its unit Instagram in India, linked with India’s two largest political parties and Pakistan, as part of its larger attempt to stem the spread of misinformation.

In a blogpost by Nathaniel Gleicher, its head of cybersecurity policy, Facebook said it removed 103 pages, groups, and accounts on both Facebook and Instagram for engaging in coordinated ‘inauthentic behaviour’ as part of a network that originated in Pakistan.

Further, 687 Facebook pages and accounts linked to the main Opposition party Indian National Congress (INC) and 15 Facebook pages, groups, and accounts linked to people associated with an Indian information technology firm Silver Touch, which has also developed the Prime Minister’s NaMo app, were removed.