Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Kremlin says no agreements yet on next platform for Russia-Ukraine negotiations
YAF spokesperson: We targeted Lydd Airport, known as Ben-Gurion Airport, with a hypersonic missile
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Lebanon: Two Israeli airstrikes targeted Wadi al-Aziziya in the Tyre district.
CIA spokesperson says law enforcement responded to a security incident outside CIA headquarters.
Brigadier General Saree: Operation achieved its targeted successfully, forcing millions of Zionists to flee to shelters, and halted air traffic at the airport.
YAF spokesperson: We've executed a military operation targeting Ben Gurion Airport in occupied Yafa with ballistic hypersonic missile.
IOF warning forces residents to evacuate and head South in preparation for expansion of aggression.
IOF issues large-scale evacuation orders for residents of 14 areas in northern Gaza.
Israeli media say that for second time in span of hours, a ballistic missile is launched from Yemen toward "Israel".
Israeli media say large explosion heard in central "Israel".

Facebook, Twitter contacted Pentagon concerned about PsyOps: WashPost

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: The Washington Post
  • 20 Sep 2022 16:20
  • 3 Shares
3 Min Read

Fake accounts that emerged on social media raised concerns in Big Tech.

  • x
  • WashPost: Facebook, Twitter contacted Pentagon concerned about Psy-Ops
    The real war is in the mind. 

According to a report by the Washington Post, in 2020, Facebook and Twitter employees contacted the Pentagon to voice concerns regarding fake accounts they believed had ties with the US military.

One Facebook executive, at one point, spoke to the Pentagon's head of influence operations policy, Christopher C miller, who was warned that foreign enemies could discover the origin of the accounts if Facebook could too.

Detecting accounts that Facebook and Twitter suspected to be part of the US military conducting psyops, the two social media giants took down about 150 fake profiles and media sites. Psy-ops are a war tactic used frequently by the US, which, in its turn, has been accusing Russia of doing since 2020. 

Read more: Anti-Russian propaganda bombards internet users

The Post reported that last week, the undersecretary of defense for policy, Colin Kahl, ordered a full report from the US military regarding its online influence operations to be sent to the White House for review by October. In addition to that, the Biden administration has repeatedly requested that the Pentagon provide more information regarding its psyop policies - or, 'online influence campaigns.'

Related News

Meta sued in Ghana over extreme content's toll on moderators

Meta faces scrutiny after ending fact-checking on Facebook

In 2019, the US Congress gave the green light when it passed Section 1631, which allowed the military to conduct psyops as long as it does not infringe on the CIA's covert authority, knowing that the law exempts such activities from the oversight system. 

In August 2022, a report from Graphika and the Standford Internet Observatory was published revealing that suspicious pro-US accounts on Twitter and Meta “created fake personas with GAN-generated faces, posed as independent media outlets, leveraged memes and short-form videos, attempted to start hashtag campaigns, and launched online petitions.”

The campaigns were largely aimed at countries such as Iran or in Central Asia, where there is resistance to US foreign policy. 

Many of the topics discussed include "U.S. diplomatic and humanitarian efforts in the region, Russia’s alleged malign influence, Russian military interventions in the Middle East and Africa, and Chinese ‘imperialism’ and treatment of Muslim minorities,” according to the researchers.

Sometimes, the accounts would post content from some media outlets backed by the US State Department, such as Radio Free Europe. 

Read next: You're doing yourself a "disservice" following only Western media

  • Facebook
  • Pentagon
  • Twitter
  • Meta

Most Read

YAF say struck 'Israel's' Ben-Gurion Airport with missiles, drones

YAF say struck 'Israel's' Ben Gurion Airport with missiles, drones

  • MENA
  • 18 May 2025
Israeli media: Yemen may push 'Israel' towards ceasefire in Gaza

Israeli media: Yemen may push 'Israel' towards ceasefire in Gaza

  • MENA
  • 17 May 2025
Rachel Accurso criticized for speaking out on Gaza children crisis

Ms. Rachel accused of antisemitism for speaking out for Gaza children

  • Politics
  • 20 May 2025
Martyrs, injuries in violent Israeli bombardment of southern Gaza

Israeli operation fails; IOF launch violent strikes on Gaza

  • Politics
  • 19 May 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Yemenis chant slogans during a weekly anti-US and anti-Israeli rally in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, May 16, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Operations against 'Israel' yielding tangible results: Ansar Allah

People walk between buildings, Dec. 17, 2024, on the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts (AP)
Politics

Trump blocks Harvard from enrolling foreign students

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, steps out from his plane as he arrives at Muscat, Oman, Friday, April 25, 2025, a day prior to negotiations with US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff (AP)
Politics

Iran no longer benefits from reviving the 2015 nuclear deal: Araghchi

A Microsoft sign is decorated in celebration of the company's 50th anniversary at Microsoft headquarters, Friday, April 4, 2025, in Redmond, Wash (AP)
Technology

Microsoft prohibits 'Palestine' in internal messages

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS