Facebook, Twitter Remove ‘African Troll Accounts’ Allegedly Linked to Russia

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – Social media giant Facebook said in a statement that it had removed fake accounts allegedly linked to Russia but did not find activity focused on the US elections, alleging that the accounts were operated by nationals in Ghana and Nigeria on behalf of individuals in Russia, primarily targeting people in the United States.

“Today, we removed 49 Facebook accounts, 69 Pages and 85 Instagram accounts for engaging in foreign influence… on Facebook, Instagram and other internet platforms”, Facebook said in a Thursday statement.

Russia has repeatedly rejected all accusations by the United States regarding Moscow meddling in Washington’s internal affairs.

No activity to influence US elections was found, the company stated, added, however, that the accounts primarily posted content focusing on topics about African-American history, fashion, celebrity gossip, LGBTQ issues, police brutality and oppression, among other matters.

US media reported on Thursday that Twitter removed 71 accounts operating out of Ghana and Nigeria that were alleged to be linked to Russia.

“Most were tweeting in English and presented themselves as based in the United States […] The accounts – operating out of Ghana and Nigeria and which we can reliably associate with Russia – attempted to sow discord by engaging in conversations about social issues, like race and civil rights”, Twitter said, cited by CNN.

According to the CNN report, an alleged troll news factory was situated in a residential district near the Ghanaian capital, Accra. The media report claimed that the alleged accounts created in Ghana were consistently coordinated, posting on the same topic within hours of each other.

Sourse: sputniknews.com