Meta says it disrupted influence operations linked to China, Iran, Romania

Researchers at Meta said the company dismantled three covert influence campaigns originating from China, Iran and Romania that aimed to manipulate political discourse in multiple countries using fake social media accounts.

In a report released this week, the U.S. tech giant claimed it removed the networks before they could build meaningful audiences on its platforms, including Facebook and Instagram. Each campaign used fictitious identities to pose as local users while spreading political content in various languages.

One China-linked operation targeted users in Myanmar, Taiwan and Japan, deploying fake profiles — some likely using AI-generated photos — to spread propaganda aligned with Beijing’s interests. Meta said the campaign comprised three distinct clusters of accounts, each focusing on a different country, and posted content in Burmese, Mandarin, Japanese and English.

In Myanmar, the network promoted pro-junta narratives and criticized anti-government activists. In Japan, it attacked the government’s ties with the U.S. military, while in Taiwan, it accused political and military leaders of corruption. Meta said the operation resembled previous China-based influence efforts.

The report identified a separate Iranian campaign focused on Azeri-speaking audiences in Azerbaijan and Turkey, primarily using fake accounts that impersonated female journalists and pro-Palestinian activists. These accounts posted spam and used popular hashtags to amplify content criticizing U.S. foreign policy and Israel’s actions in Gaza. Meta linked the operation to  an operation tracked as Storm-2035, an Iranian influence network known for using generative AI to craft politically motivated posts.

The third network, originating in Romania, targeted domestic audiences across Meta’s platforms as well as YouTube, X (formerly Twitter), and TikTok, according to the report. The campaign used inauthentic accounts to comment on political content and drive users to off-platform websites. These profiles typically posed as locals interested in sports, travel and news, maintaining consistent personas across multiple services. Meta noted that although the operation made strong efforts to obscure its origin, it failed to attract engagement from real users.

Previous influence campaigns targeting Romania were linked to Russia. Earlier in May, Romania’s Interior Ministry said a group active in Europe since at least 2022 launched a new disinformation campaign aimed at the second round of the Romanian presidential election. Last year, the country annulled its presidential election results following revelations of Russian interference.