Meta Inc. Block Dozens Of Facebook Accounts Related To The Belarusian KGB, This Is The Reason!

Meta Inc, has linked the Belarusian KGB with the creation of dozens of fake social media accounts. (photo: doc. unsplash)

JAKARTA - Facebook's parent company Meta Inc has linked the Belarusian KGB with the creation of dozens of fake social media accounts of people posing as journalists and activists to stoke the migrant crisis on the Belarus-Polish border.

A Meta report on Wednesday, November 1 said it had removed 41 Facebook accounts, five Facebook Groups and four Instagram accounts for violating its policy on "coordinated inauthentic behavior".

The fake profile was used to criticize the behavior of Polish authorities, including spreading accusations that Polish border guards used violence and intimidation against migrants, he said.

"These fictitious individuals posted criticisms of Poland in English, Polish and Kurdish, including images and videos of Polish border guards allegedly violating migrants' rights, and comparing Poland's treatment of migrants to other countries," the report said.

"Although the people behind it tried to hide their identity and coordination, our investigation found links to the Belarusian KGB," he said.

The Belarusian KGB itself could not be reached for comment by Reuters on this matter.

Facebook has come under global pressure from regulators, lawmakers, and employees to fight abuses on its service. It told Reuters in September it had become more aggressive in shutting down coordinated groups of real user accounts engaging in certain malicious activity on its platforms, including attempts to influence elections in states.

European Union countries accuse Belarus of creating a migrant crisis on the bloc's eastern border by encouraging thousands of people from the Middle East and Africa who try to cross into Poland and Lithuania, in retaliation for Western sanctions against Minsk.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has denied doing so and blamed the European Union for the crisis.

Human rights groups say at least 13 people died as migrants camped out in freezing conditions at the border. Three EU countries bordering Belarus have defended their approach to pushing migrants back without assessing their cases individually or giving them a realistic opportunity to claim asylum as guaranteed under international humanitarian law.

The Meta report said the company had separately removed 31 Facebook accounts, four Groups, and four Instagram accounts believed to be of Polish origin and targeting audiences in Belarus and Iraq.

The report did not link the accounts to the Polish state but said it was intended to prevent migrants from trying to enter the EU.

"These fake persons admitted to sharing their own negative experiences trying to get from Belarus to Poland and posting about the difficult lives of migrants in Europe," he said. "They also posted about Poland's strict anti-migrant policies and anti-migrant neo-Nazi activities in Poland."