Feinstein on Facebook Decision to Deactivate Fake Accounts from Russia, Iran

Washington—Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today released the following statement on Facebook’s decision to deactivate more than 200 accounts:

            “Facebook’s decision to deactivate 237 accounts and pages that were targeting elections in the United States and elsewhere clearly shows that foreign interference continues to be a massive problem that we must address.

            “Facebook said the accounts, which originated in Iran and Russia, were ‘engaging in coordinated inauthentic behavior on Facebook and Instagram.’ The account owners used these pages to pose as locals and post information about local politics and politicians in an effort to sow discord and influence voters.

            “It’s important that Facebook and other social media platforms continue to monitor these activities and deactivate account as they find them. A key goal of these individuals, whether in Russia, Iran, China or elsewhere, is to disrupt elections.

            “We can’t allow that to happen. With our own presidential election just over a year away, we must do more to identify and eliminate foreign interference; protect our voting infrastructure; and uphold confidence in our elections. It’s no exaggeration to say that our democracy is at stake.”