Security News > 2021 > May > Facebook Adapts Defenses as Deception Campaigns Go Stealth
Facebook said Wednesday that it has disrupted more than 150 deceptive influence schemes since 2017, with Russia the biggest single source, as culprits strive to stay "Under the radar."
The number of coordinated inauthentic behavior campaigns derailed at the leading social network ramped up each year since a Russia-linked operation to sway the outcome of the 2016 US presidential election put Facebook on the defensive.
As tactics have gone more steathly, the deception campaigns have seen their reach shrink since, by design, they are trying not to be noticed by the social network, according to executives.
From 2017 through the middle of this year, Facebook has exposed and taken down more than 150 covert operations that violate its policy against coordinated inauthentic behavior, according to the report.
The campaigns originated in more than 50 countries overall, with Russia the largest single source accounting for 27 of the deceptive networks, the report indicated.
Influence campaigns continue to "Push the boundaries of acceptable online behavior" and blur lines between deceit and free speech, Gleicher said.