Facebook suspends fake Russian accounts, warns of US vote threat

Facebook has said it dismantled three networks of fake accounts which could be used by Russia’s intelligence services to leak hacked documents as part of efforts to disrupt the upcoming US election. The company said on Thursday that the accounts, which it suspended for using fake identities and other types of “coordinated inauthentic behaviour”, were linked to Russian intelligence and people associated with a St Petersburg-based organisation accused by US officials of working to sway the 2016 presidential vote. The Russian foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Moscow has repeatedly denied allegations of election meddling and said it does not interfere in the domestic politics of other countries. Nathaniel Gleicher, Facebook’s head of cybersecurity policy, said there was no immediate evidence that hacked documents were about to be leaked, but by suspending the accounts, Facebook hoped to prevent them being used in any subsequent operation. “Our team watches for the threats and trends that we need to be ready for and one that we are very aware of … is a hack-and-leak operation, particularly in the next 6-8 weeks,” he told Reuters News Agency. “We want to make sure that the accounts are down to prevent their ability to pivot them to facilitate a hack-and-leak around the US election.” style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; top: 0; bottom: 0; right: 0; left: 0;">