Meta disables iranian-linked AI network targeting U.S. political and media figures

Meta has taken action against a network of Facebook and Instagram accounts linked to an Iranian-based operation that utilized artificial intelligence to target U.S. audiences with political content. The company first disclosed this disruption to Axios. The operation, which attracted thousands of followers, included accounts that impersonated everyday Americans to appear more authentic. As part of a broader threat report released today, Meta stated that it has disabled four Facebook accounts and 31 Instagram accounts associated with actors based in Iran. During the campaign, operators also impersonated U.S.-based individuals, including activists, students, and graphic designers, who claimed to reside in major cities such as Washington, D.C., San Diego, and Atlanta. Meta emphasized that AI-generated content has become a standard component of online influence operations, noting that it frequently encounters the use of such technology in nearly every network it disrupts. The actors involved in the operation routed their traffic exclusively through proxy and hosting services in the U.S. and Canada, making their Iranian origins more challenging to detect. Meta has been investing in AI technologies to enhance its ability to identify behaviors linked to inauthentic accounts and to remove them more efficiently. Foreign disinformation is entering an AI-powered era, according to Meta's broader threat report.