Facebook, Twitter remove fake Russia-linked accounts targeting U.S.

Facebook Inc and Twitter Inc said on Thursday they had taken down a network of Russian-linked fake accounts operated out of Ghana and Nigeria which targeted the United States. Facebook told reporters that the network, which it removed from Facebook and Instagram for engaging in foreign interference, was in the early stages of building audiences and was operated by local nationals, some wittingly and some unwittingly.

Facebook said its investigation found links to an NGO in Ghana called EBLA and individuals associated with past activity by Russia's Internet Research Agency (IRA), a St Petersburg-based "troll factory" that aimed to interfere in the U.S. presidential election in 2016. The accounts in the new takedown managed Facebook pages posing as nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) or personal blogs, or posting in Facebook groups. They focused on topics such as black history, black excellence and fashion, celebrity gossip, U.S. news and LGBTQ issues. They also shared content about oppression and police brutality