Facebook closes accounts linked to Kurdish intelligence in Iraq
The accounts were linked to the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and targeted its rival, the Kurdistan Democratic Party.
Facebook closed several accounts and pages linked to Kurdish intelligence in Iraq last month. The pages were used by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in its political rivalry with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), according to findings from a report released by Facebook today.
In May, Facebook closed 324 pages, 71 accounts, five groups and 31 Instagram accounts that it linked to the Zanyari agency, according to a Facebook statement. The intelligence agency is controlled by the PUK, which is the second largest party in Iraqi Kurdistan and dominates Sulaimaniyah province. The strongholds of the largest party, the KDP, are in Erbil and Dahuk provinces. The PUK is historically close to Iran, while the KDP has an economic relationship with Turkey.
The users engaged in what Facebook describes as “coordinated inauthentic behavior.” This is defined as “coordinated efforts to manipulate public debate for a strategic goal where fake accounts are central to the operation,” the Facebook statement read.
The accounts and pages in question impersonated local politicians and posed as news agencies. Around $270,000 was spent on advertisements promoting the content and more than 4 million people followed at least one of the pages, according to Facebook’s May report for coordinated inauthentic behavior released today.
