Twitter has deleted nearly 4,800 accounts linked to the Iranian government which served to promote state actions without disclosing their political connection. (AP Photo)
CAIRO – 14 June 2019: Twitter has said it removed thousands of accounts linked to the Iranian government and archived them to its public database launched last year.
The company said it believes 4,779 accounts were associated or backed by Iran.
Twitter first released the archive of data associated with known state-backed information operations last October to provide more transparency of information and to stem manipulation on its platform.
Since October 2018, Twitter has been publishing transparency reports on its investigations into state-backed information operations.
Last month, Facebook said it took down 51 accounts, 36 pages and seven groups tied to Iran. Facebook, which owns Instagram, also removed three accounts on the photo sharing app.
Twitter said that in early May it pulled down more than 2,800 fake accounts tied to Iran. The company shared its remarks after US cybersecurity firm FireEye released a report that showed how some Twitter accounts were used to pose as those belonging to US political candidates and push pro-Iranian political messages.
FireEye said in the report that the network of social media accounts that posted in English shared messages that were "anti-Saudi, anti-Israeli, and pro-Palestinian."
The Iranian accounts impersonated news outlets in the Middle East and tried to make it appear as if they were located in the US or Europe.
Facebook users -- including journalists, policy makers, academics and Iranian dissidents -- were contacted by some of these accounts.
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