Facebook Says Took Down Fake Accounts Of Trump Ally Roger Stone

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 09th July, 2020) Facebook said it has removed four separate networks, including that of President Donald Trump's ally Roger Stone, for violating its policy on fake accounts, foreign interference and what it termed coordinated inauthentic behavior (CIB).

"The people behind this activity used fake accounts - some of which had already been detected and disabled by our automated systems," Facebook said in a statement on Wednesday. "Our investigation linked this network to Roger Stone and his associates."

Facebook said the accounts that were removed originated in both North and South America, in Canada and Ecuador, Brazil, Ukraine, and the United States.

One particular network had more than 100 accounts and pages posting misinformation on the company's social network with ties to longtime Republican party operative Stone, the statement said.

"When we investigate and remove these operations, we focus on behavior rather than content, no matter who's behind them, what they post, or whether they're foreign or domestic," the statement said.

The Stone-linked network engaged in CIB activity, using Facebook to pose as Florida residents and post misinformation regarding local politics in Florida. The network was followed by more than 320,000 accounts across Facebook and Instagram.

Stone has been convicted of lying to the US Congress but maintains that he is innocent. The charges were brought by a grand jury as part of a probe of allegations of Trump-Russia collusion in the 2016 presidential election. The investigation found no evidence of collusion.

The 67-year-old Stone, who is due to report to Federal prison next week, has asked for clemency from Trump, and the president has that he may grant an outright pardon or commutation of sentence.

In June, Trump tweeted that Stone "was a victim of a corrupt and illegal Witch Hunt, one which will go down as the greatest political crime in history. He can sleep well at night!"