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Twitter shuts fake accounts that spout tyrants’ propaganda

Some accounts aimed to discredit Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018
Some accounts aimed to discredit Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018
MOHAMMED AL-SHAIKH/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

Twitter has shut down more than 20,000 fake accounts linked to oppressive regimes as part of its biggest crackdown on malicious and misleading content.

The accounts — which were found to be acting on behalf of the governments of Egypt, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Serbia and Honduras — generated tens of millions of tweets between them.

Often run by private companies, they attacked domestic critics and rival states while cheerleading for countries they supported — all of which have clamped down on independent media and opposition figures. They aimed to both skew perceptions of public opinion, and to spread fake news discrediting opponents.

Of the closed accounts 5,350 were found to have been set up between 2007 and 2020 and were linked to a
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/twitter-bans-20-000-fake-accounts-with-state-links-rz3n9wg8q
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