Meta shuts down Iran-based fake Instagram accounts aimed at UK users

Accounts posted photos and memes about current events and criticism of the UK government

The social network Instagram's logo appears on a tablet screen. AFP

Facebook parent company Meta removed a network of fake accounts that originated in Iran and were aimed Instagram users in Scotland, with content supporting Scottish independence, the company's investigators said on Thursday.

The network used fake accounts to pose as locals in England and Scotland, posting photos and memes about current events and criticism of the UK government, Meta said.

The accounts organised their content around common hashtags promoting the cause, though they at times misspelled them, the company said.

The accounts also posted about football and UK cities, likely to make the fictitious personas seem more authentic.

Some of the fake accounts used profile pictures probably created through AI techniques, while others used photos of media personalities and celebrities from the UK and Iraq as profile pictures, Meta said.

In a referendum on Scottish independence in 2014, Scots voted 55 per cent-45 per cent to remain in the UK, but both Brexit and the British government's handling of the Covid-19 crisis have bolstered support for independence among Scots and demands for a second vote.

Meta said its investigation found links to people in Iran, including those with a background in teaching English as a foreign language.

It said the operation had some connections with a small, Iran-based network it previously removed in December 2020, which was mostly aimed at Arabic, French and English-speaking audiences using fake accounts, but did not provide further details on who might be behind the activity.

1. The most followed person on Instagram is Cristiano Ronaldo (@cristiano) who had 156,533,473 followers at the time of writing. His account is a round up of cute family moments, on-pitch highlights and major career achievements.

2. Singer Ariana Grande (@arianagrande) is now the most followed woman on Instagram, with 146,962,479 followers, to be precise. If you click follow, expect a lot of filters, selfies and BTS moments with the 'Thank u, next' singer.

3. Formerly the most followed woman on the 'Gram, Selena Gomez's title has been stripped of her by fellow American songstress, Ariana Grande. It's a close race though, as Gomez (@selenagomez) has 146,527,198 followers, meaning there is a difference of 435,281 followers between the two. Family, fashion, friends and promo material makes up the majority of snaps over on Gomez's grid.

4. The second most followed man on Instagram is Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson (@therock), with 133m followers. Not one to just snap and post, the majority of The Rock's Insta pics come with a pretty inspiring caption to accompany it.

5. It makes sense that the most followed of the Kardashian/Jenner women is arguably most famous, Kim Kardashian (@kimkardashian). The mother-of-three shares selfies aplenty, some taken in mirrors that could do with a good clean, with her 129m followers.

6. Close on Kim Kardashian's tail is the youngest Kardashian/Jenner woman, Kylie Jenner (@kyliejenner), who has 128m followers. Jenner's Instagram is a veritable smorgasbord of snaps of baby Stormi, lipstick promo-shots and plenty of #sponcon, paid for posts.

7. Beyonce's (@beyonce) 125m followers will know to expect regular outfit of the day posts from the 'Halo' singer. The mother-of-three posts styled and edited photos in her many high fashion looks, often tagging the designers behind the looks. Very rarey fans are treated to a photo of children, Blue Ivy, Rumi and Sir, or husband, Jay-Z.

8. If you're on Instagram for cat pictures, Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) is a must-follow, and as of right now there are 114m people doing just that. Before her very public fallout with Kim Kardashian in 2016, Swift's Instagram was a very candid insight into her life, now it is used mainly to promote new music, with the odd photo of her home life thrown in.

9. Brazilian footballer, Neymar (@neymarjr) comes in at number 9 with 111m followers. Family and football make up the bulk of the Paris Saint-Germain player's posts.

10. Rounding out our list is Lionel Messi (@leomessi), who boasts 110m followers. The Argentine footballer, who is currently the captain of Spanish team Barcelona, mainly posts photos of his three sons and on-pitch highlights.

“We've seen a range of operations coming from Iran over the last few years,” said Ben Nimmo, Meta's global threat intelligence lead for influence operations, in a press briefing. “It's not a monolithic environment.”

The social media company said it had removed eight Facebook accounts and 126 Instagram accounts as part of this latest network in December for violating its rules against co-ordinated inauthentic behaviour.

Meta also said in December it had removed a network that originated primarily in Mexico that was aimed at audiences in countries including Honduras, Ecuador and El Salvador, and a network that originated in Turkey and was aimed at people in Libya.