Facebook Deletes Fake Swiss Biologist's Account Who Accused US Of Meddling In Finding Origins Of COVID-19

Facebook removes fake Swiss biologist account that discredited US. (photo: unsplash)

JAKARTA - Facebook owner Meta Platforms Inc said on Wednesday, December 1 that it had removed an account used by a Chinese influence operative that promoted false "Swiss biologists" claims that the United States was interfering in the search for the origins of COVID. -19.

Meta said in a report that the social media campaign was "largely unsuccessful" and targeted English-speaking audiences in the United States and the United Kingdom and Chinese-speaking audiences in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Tibet.

The claim by "Swiss biologist" Wilson Edwards was widely cited by Chinese state media in July. In August, several Chinese newspapers removed comments and removed articles citing him after the Swiss embassy in Beijing said it had found no evidence of him being a Swiss citizen.

Meta said Facebook removed Wilson Edwards' account in August and has since removed 524 Facebook accounts, 20 Pages, four Groups, and 86 Instagram accounts as part of its investigation. The deletion also removes content that has been posted by this entity.

"We ... were able to link the activity to individuals in mainland China, including employees of certain companies in China, Sichuan Silence Information Technology Company Limited, as well as some individuals linked to Chinese state infrastructure companies around the world", Meta Global Threat Disruption Head, David Agranovich, told Reuters.

Sichuan Silence Information Technology Co. did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters on this matter. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and internet regulator Cyberspace Administration of China also did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Meta said it did not find any connection between Sichuan Silence Information Technology and the Chinese government.

Silence Information's website describes itself as a network and information security company providing network security services for the activities of China's Ministry of Public Security and China's CNCERT, the main coordinating team for China's cybersecurity emergency response.

On July 24, 10 hours after its creation, the Facebook account "Wilson Edwards" uploaded a post saying he had been notified that the United States was seeking to discredit the qualifications of World Health Organization scientists working with China to investigate the origins of COVID-19.

Meta says the account operator uses a virtual private network (VPN) infrastructure to hide its origins and seeks to give Edwards a rounded personality.

The original persona's posts were initially shared and liked by fake Facebook accounts, and then forwarded by genuine users, most of whom belonged to employees of China's state infrastructure company in more than 20 countries, a source from Meta said.

"This is the first time we have observed an operation involving a coordinated group of state employees to strengthen itself in this way", the report said. Meta said it found no evidence that the network was gaining traction among the native community.

China's state-run media, from China Daily to TV news service CGTN, widely cited the July post as evidence that US President Joe Biden's administration is politicizing the WHO. The government says the joint WHO-China investigation lacks transparency.

The origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 is still a mystery and a source of tension between China, the United States, and other countries.