Earlier this year I tweeted about AI generated photos and how they can be used to create fake profile images. Facebook took down an Epoch Media Group network with fake accounts using AI generated photos. 2020 will be a cespool of fakeness. https://t.co/yUFVF05XaV
— Christopher Bouzy (@cbouzy) December 20, 2019
BREAKING: Snopes has argued the now-dark BL network was a textbook example of coordinated inauthentic behavior supposedly banned on Facebook.
— snopes.com (@snopes) December 20, 2019
https://t.co/r4lBf2OsUa
When that Faceapp software came out, where everyone was sharing what they’d look like as another gender, younger, elderly, etc. I was sure it was just a farm for growing deepfake avatars on bot accounts for disinformation campaigns. Fun! https://t.co/I2lXoT1ewn
— todd levin (@toddlevin) December 20, 2019
DIY—
— Zach Everson (@Z_Everson) December 20, 2019
Anyone can get their own AI-generated profile pic for free athttps://t.co/p5m5UyjFBX https://t.co/xRU2xZmsV5
Dystopia Alert: Pro-Trump anti-China Epoch Times Media group using deep fake style face generation tools to build fake accounts instead of stealing real images/identities. Hyperreal simulations of fake humans convincingly generated by machines. https://t.co/igxda0RS7n via @donie
— David Carroll ? (@profcarroll) December 20, 2019
In other words: https://t.co/BY1pDNptlP pic.twitter.com/Gk2JYLw95K
— snopes.com (@snopes) December 20, 2019
The scale of this network and their heavy use of automation to create accounts and populate pages was truly impressive. When the content was political, it focused on pro-Trump messaging and on criticism of the Chinese Government. More context from @donie: https://t.co/xGpIIg2oMq
— Camille François (@camillefrancois) December 20, 2019
Nice to see Twitter flagging this sort of info op. This space needs to work same way infosec does:
— Bobby Chesney (@BobbyChesney) December 20, 2019
A dense ecosystem of firms, academics, NGOs, and responsible gov’t entities spotlighting and sharing info about what we might call AIPTs (Advanced Persistent Information Threats). https://t.co/6BFbpd1kpl
Snopes flagged the accounts to FB, questioned "its apparent inaction against this 'textbook example' of coordinated inauthentic behavior." FB removed accounts yesterday citing its own “internal investigation” & “open source reporting.” Didn't credit Snopes https://t.co/Dfw5hDh5I2
— Eric Fish (@ericfish85) December 21, 2019
THREAD: Today, we can report that Facebook has banned "The BL."
— snopes.com (@snopes) December 20, 2019
Snopes reporters @alexkasprak and @jordanliles first published exclusive findings on the massive pro-Trump empire, linked to the Epoch Times, in October. https://t.co/BY1pDNptlP
88,000 Saudi Twitter bots? Did I get that right? Wow https://t.co/k4hTjVGaSN
— David D. Kirkpatrick (@ddknyt) December 21, 2019
Twitter investigations traced the source of operation to Smaat, a social media marketing and management company in Saudi Arabia, that managed a range of Twitter accounts for high-profile individuals and government departments in Saudi Arabia. https://t.co/RBiiQTVX6N
— Negar Mortazavi (@NegarMortazavi) December 20, 2019
How a pro-Trump outlet with 55 million followers manipulated Facebook, using Vietnamese contractors and AI to create “fake Americans.” The outlet then spent $9.5 million to spread stories that the president’s conspiracy theories actually made sense https://t.co/XP8nob949q
— David Beard (@dabeard) December 20, 2019
This is a subplot in Ghost in the Shell https://t.co/4BcahudY7T
— Heather Anne Campbell (@heathercampbell) December 20, 2019
Content removed included 610 Facebook accounts, 89 Facebook Pages, 156 Groups and 72 Instagram account, and sparked concern that AI could be used to create wide-scale disinformation campaigns. https://t.co/ModWOit8ii
— Amy Siskind ?️? (@Amy_Siskind) December 20, 2019
Twitter removed 5,929 accounts for violating the platform manipulation policies. “Rigorous investigations by our Site Integrity team have allowed us to attribute these accounts to a significant state-backed information operation on Twitter originating in Saudi Arabia.” https://t.co/VNk9oo551k
— Hassan Hassan (@hxhassan) December 21, 2019
Snopes uncovered a giant network of fake accounts using AI-generated faces on Facebook to inflate a pro-Trump group linked to a conspiracy site, EpochTimes. @snopes tried to get a response from @Facebook and now FB won't credit Snopes for the investigation https://t.co/RTkCwHbZ8y
— ?☠️ Maddox is now MADDOX ?☠️ (@maddoxrules) December 20, 2019
this is the Falun Gong cult that also produces Shen Yun and runs the NTD, New Tang Dynasty TV channel https://t.co/sjxGjB838A
— Rev. Poppy Alter Santa (@poppy_haze) December 20, 2019
Facebook and Twitter have closed a pro-Trump network that reached 55 million accounts and used AI-generated faces as profile photos to “masquerade" as Americans https://t.co/xYrM88Q6TY
— Hunter Schwarz (@hunterschwarz) December 20, 2019
Kudos to @snopes investigators @alexkasprak and @jordanliles for blowing the lid off this scheme. https://t.co/7k4j4Ydt9c
— David Emery (@debunker) December 20, 2019
?Cheeeck Ouuut Thiiis ?? https://t.co/KuBKu8SN2T
— Hal Sparks (@HalSparks) December 20, 2019
It was only a matter of time before synthesized face images were used at scale for creating fake accounts: https://t.co/GSfn8OquO0 -- social networks need to add inappropriate use of synthesized media (image, video, text) to their list of things to moderate.
— Nick Diakopoulos (@ndiakopoulos) December 20, 2019
BIG: Definitive proof that #SaudiArabia is manipulating Western audiences using inauthentic accounts. #Khashoggi https://t.co/rzL9C9DVp6
— Moira Whelan (@moira) December 20, 2019
“This was a large, brazen network that had multiple layers of fake accounts and automation that systematically posted content with two ideological focuses: support of Donald Trump and opposition to the Chinese government" -- Atlantic Council's Graham Brookie https://t.co/VIVYoh51jN
— Olivia Gazis (@Olivia_Gazis) December 20, 2019
Credit also goes to our colleagues at @fbsecurity, who this morning removed 610 accounts, 89 Facebook Pages, 156 Groups and 72 Instagram accounts associated with this network. Their statement here: https://t.co/vPw3dLcKY5
— Camille François (@camillefrancois) December 20, 2019
"The accounts, which were removed by Facebook on Friday, were part of a network that generally posted in support of President Trump and against the Chinese government."
— Eric Fish (@ericfish85) December 20, 2019
Facebook said the accounts were tied to the Epoch Media Group, which owns Epoch Times https://t.co/gBmT6DpCAA
I am shocked, SHOCKED, that Saudi Arabia has been caught manipulating Twitter through bots! Next thing we’ll find out they are using them to amplify monarchist, MEK & pro-Israel think tank tweets in an attempt to shape America’s domestic debate on our Iran policy. My word! https://t.co/LQUjSWHo4U
— Jamal Abdi (@jabdi) December 20, 2019
these are the same people that run shen yun https://t.co/Qkp5F1qCeG
— czub / ズー (@mczub) December 20, 2019
Exactly, this is the first verifiable takedown that we got the opportunity to document that yes, AI is moving closer than we imagined. The fake AI faces were not sophisticated but as StyleGAN is evolving, I am a bit concerned with detecting fake accounts networks. https://t.co/8PqzGI1vlx
— Kanishk Karan (@KaranKanishk) December 20, 2019
DNI Coates had warned of the dangers of deepfakes earlier this year — here’s an example of A.I. generated images being used to create fake faces for Facebook profiles (not nation state-linked)https://t.co/QbIYqzEqLF
— Donie O'Sullivan (@donie) December 20, 2019
Okay but if you’re only suspending 6000 Saudi trolls of the 88,000 you have identified...I still get to have the other 82,000 spamming my mentions https://t.co/CgeeNR6OuC
— Lexi Alexander (@Lexialex) December 21, 2019
Today we’re sharing information about a significant state-backed information operation originating in Saudi Arabia.
— Yoel Roth (@yoyoel) December 20, 2019
We’re making comprehensive data on this activity available to researchers and the public, and full details are on our blog: https://t.co/dqUPJDAReV
Twitter has shut down more than 88,000 Saudi bots, part of a "significant state-backed information operation" that "amplified messages favorable to Saudi authorities." The accounts may also be linked to last month's FBI complaint of alleged Saudi spying. https://t.co/Pv9hpGOMLz
— Gregg Carlstrom (@glcarlstrom) December 21, 2019
"The network had over 55 million followers on Facebook, almost double the following of Kim Kardashian West.
— Maddow Blog (@MaddowBlog) December 21, 2019
The accounts pushed anti-impeachment and pro-Trump messages while otherwise posing as everyday Americans. "https://t.co/mQpJaWjys0
Existential question from The Epoch Times' now-shuttered trolling operation:
— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) December 20, 2019
Is it still a deepfake if you make an AI-generated profile of a handsome American, name him a moderator of your Facebook page—then your Vietnamese contractors named him "Ellen"?https://t.co/SjPkVEGMo3 pic.twitter.com/Aq61SZxcLh
This feels like a new frontier in the information wars. (And exactly the kind of thing worried AI researchers have been warning about for years.) https://t.co/tVFUuuTCfN
— Kevin Roose (@kevinroose) December 20, 2019
Facebook Errs in Connecting Epoch Media Group to BL https://t.co/jHroyLzF37
— John Smithies (@jdsmithies) December 21, 2019
“Facebook has realized a Chinese Communist Party goal outside China’s homeland”
— Adas (@adasomg) December 21, 2019
“By prohibiting The Epoch Times from advertising you (Facebook) have indirectly aided the CCP in their worldwide soft power competition with the US” https://t.co/GYmVjVuioB
Facebook and Twitter remove hundreds of fake accounts linked to pro-Trump conspiracy website The Epoch Times.
— Voodoochild (@jdd2169) December 21, 2019
theepochtimes comhttps://t.co/rtcucR6Mmr
Facebook, Twitter remove accounts tied to inauthentic pro-Trump network https://t.co/kC42JM72nf
— WTF (@elzey_t) December 21, 2019
Twitter shares data for 5,929 accounts that spread Saudi Arabian propaganda https://t.co/Ixnisv7LFc pic.twitter.com/UzjiWG19rC
— #TheResistance (@SocialPowerOne1) December 21, 2019
"The network had over 55 million followers on Facebook, almost double the following of Kim Kardashian West.
— Maddow Blog (@MaddowBlog) December 21, 2019
The accounts pushed anti-impeachment and pro-Trump messages while otherwise posing as everyday Americans. "https://t.co/mQpJaWjys0
Twitter has similar challenges to meet.
— Dr. Robert Fortuna (@psychdr100) December 21, 2019
Facebook says a pro-Trump media outlet used artificial intelligence to create fake people and push conspiracies https://t.co/8obpif005T via @nbcnews
Facebook says a pro-Trump media outlet used artificial intelligence to create fake people and push conspiracies || Via nbcnews https://t.co/BdeUQi3gAT
— SafetyPin-Daily (@SafetyPinDaily) December 21, 2019
Facebook took down more than 600 accounts tied to the pro-Trump conspiracy website The Epoch Times for using identities created by artificial intelligence to push stories about a variety of topics including impeachment and elections. #disinformation https://t.co/vtwTVlKvyT
— Richard Hine (@richardhine) December 21, 2019
Read @oneunderscore__'s story about Facebook's removal of hundreds of fake accounts linked to The Epoch Times: https://t.co/hoLClMaipo
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) December 21, 2019
New: Facebook says a pro-Trump media outlet used artificial intelligence to create fake Americans and push conspiracies from Vietnamhttps://t.co/SjPkVEGMo3
— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) December 20, 2019
?#MAGA brainwashing continues... The editors of @EpochTimes “believe Trump was sent by heaven to destroy the Communist Party” and the world is soon headed for a judgment day, where all those labeled as Communists will be sent to hell? https://t.co/SzfpwY7Pli
— Venture Capital (@kelly2277) December 21, 2019
This is a lot of money. https://t.co/tmqG2ZDBKD pic.twitter.com/Oii1veRL5I
— Dan Friedman (@dfriedman33) December 20, 2019
“Facebook took down more than 600 accounts tied to the pro-Trump conspiracy website The Epoch Times for using identities created by artificial intelligence to push stories about a variety of topics including impeachment and elections.” Trump still at it. https://t.co/wFZ33pFjox
— DougDavid (@DougDavid14) December 21, 2019
"#Facebook took down more than 600 accounts… for using identities created by #AI to push stories about a variety of topics including impeachment and elections (with users) using fake photos generated by algorithms to simulate real identities." https://t.co/nvX3gJETzP
— amber mac (@ambermac) December 21, 2019
Also, why is the Epoch Media Group acting so much like a hostile foreign actor on social media?
— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) December 20, 2019
Even Facebook said they'd almost exclusively seen this behavior from state actors in the past.https://t.co/SjPkVEGMo3 pic.twitter.com/a0tFHHncMO
Facebook says a pro-Trump media outlet used artificial intelligence to create fake people and push conspiracies https://t.co/1tpTV34gDe
— ≡l≡v≡nth (@3L3V3NTH) December 21, 2019
Aw, damn! They're onto us! We are all AI accounts being controlled by Putin!
— ?? Ph03n1x24 ?? ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@Ph03n1x24) December 21, 2019
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA#ThesePeopleAreStupidhttps://t.co/jPC7PSwYLc
It feels like the misinformation crisis is a technology ‘arms race’ and the bad actors keep building bigger bombs https://t.co/vNmwWSdVRr
— Mark Little (@marklittlenews) December 21, 2019
The scale at which we are actively and passively manipulated is beyond fathomable. Social media has become the ultimate propaganda and disinformation outlet. Russia, the GOP and other nefarious actors are exploiting us for all we are worth every day.https://t.co/gNKRiO6ncM
— Ⓥҽɠαɳιƈ? (@vegix) December 20, 2019
55 Millionen Profile. WTF.
— Gilly ツ (@GillyBerlin) December 21, 2019
Facebook and Twitter shutter pro-Trump network reaching 55 million accounts https://t.co/3UEpKLDjhF
The world can be confusing…
— Bryan William Jones (@BWJones) December 20, 2019
OK, so we have a US-based company called The BL w/ties to Epoch Media Group and the Chinese Falun Gong cult <breathe in> that has been pushing pro-Trump messages with $9.5 million in Facebook ads…
Who is paying for all this? https://t.co/sBX6payRpI
55 million followers
— Topias Uotila (@THUotila) December 21, 2019
9,5 million in ad spend
Operations in #US and #Vietnam#AI generated profile images
Pro-#Trum#Trum#Trump bot network taken down.#Trolling is big business. https://t.co/ko8jXydXyh
#FaceBook removes #EpochTimes (Epoch Media) FAKE ACCOUNTS that were 'posing' as Americans with AI-generated faces.
— sixxisdesigns (@sixxisdesigns) December 20, 2019
The same networks Jordan Sather, Corey Goode, David Wilcock and other conspiracy networks use, which also promote the #QAnon Death Cult. ?https://t.co/bE6FumgP4g
Facebook and Twitter shutter pro-Trump network reaching 55 million accounts - The Verge
— dez blanchfield (@dez_blanchfield) December 21, 2019
Read this and be stunned! https://t.co/cL9eHUPRqr
In case you're curious about what Snake is talking about ... Facebook and Twitter shutter pro-Trump network reaching 55 million accounts https://t.co/muFEu2oIhj
— Tom [a wholly owned subsidiary] O'Neill (@doctecazoid) December 21, 2019
Facebook and Twitter shutter pro-Trump network reaching 55 million accounts https://t.co/mw6QDXZjAT
— Christian Payne (@Documentally) December 21, 2019
Facebook and Twitter shutter pro-Trump network reaching 55 million accounts https://t.co/HrhGqjWb4r @VP @GOP @SenToomey @senrobportman @MarshaBlackburn @SenJoniErnst @HouseGOP @SenateGOP @CoryGardner @SenatorRomney @SenatorBurr @senatemajldr @SenThomTillis @SenatorCollins
— dwayne cobb (@dwaynecobb) December 21, 2019
"The accounts and pages were managed by individuals in the US and Vietnam." https://t.co/oQ6j2KAngR
— Michael Tatarski (@miketatarski) December 21, 2019
Facebook and Twitter shutter pro-Trump network reaching 55 million accounts https://t.co/1YrAZ9JLkF pic.twitter.com/VboRJi6lyF
— The Verge (@verge) December 20, 2019
Facebook and Twitter shutter pro-Trump network reaching 55 million accounts https://t.co/lhlu9dkY1G
— Gigi & James Garner (@MavrocksGirl) December 21, 2019
Now is the time to support fact-checking:https://t.co/iccH4aINOv
— David Mikkelson (@davidpmikkelson) December 20, 2019
Seriously. Facebook has been refusing to answer questions on this for 3 months. It was first discovered by @snopes in Octoberhttps://t.co/MnbV4TCtoz
— Carole Cadwalladr (@carolecadwalla) December 20, 2019
.@snopes was first to report on The BL. For months these accounts inauthentically created and promoted content in support of @realDonaldTrump. Facebook refused to respond, then they refused to act. Now on the Friday before Xmas, they take a victory lap. https://t.co/IVlvrqX4Q4 https://t.co/KWHT6A6DTo
— Vinny Green (@vinnysgreen) December 20, 2019
Facebook and Twitter have taken down a global network of fake accounts used in a coordinated campaign to push pro-Trump political messages https://t.co/t2teYjFxsZ via @WSJ If they can do it to accounts linked to the Falun Gong, why not Brad Parscale and the tRump campaign?
— Ron Rabatsky (@ExposingALEC) December 21, 2019
Facebook and Twitter have taken down a global network of fake accounts used in a coordinated campaign to push pro-Trump political messages https://t.co/PFLV63WFAR @GOP
— dwayne cobb (@dwaynecobb) December 21, 2019
@SenJoniErnst @HouseGOP @SenateGOP @CoryGardner @SenatorRomney @LindseyGrahamSC @SenatorCollins @VP
Facebook, Twitter remove accounts tied to inauthentic pro-Trump network. ?
— Qanuck (@TrueQanuck11) December 21, 2019
“Facebook and Twitter on Friday removed a network of fake accounts linked to the pro-Trump conspiracy website The Epoch Times.”
#MAGA #Trump2020Landslide #QAnon #DarkToLight https://t.co/fMU6UDxX93
The limits Russia and Trump camps won't go to for self-aggrandizement!
— Apetivist? (@apetivist) December 21, 2019
Facebook, Twitter remove accounts tied to inauthentic pro-Trump network | TheHill - The Hill https://t.co/WbFwuo2eVt via @GoogleNews
Facebook took down more than 600 accounts tied to The Epoch Times, a pro-Trump conspiracy website whose parent company spent $9.5 million on ads to spread content through the now-suspended pages and groups. #DemForce #Impeached45 https://t.co/oHy5uoqNsE
— CatLady (@nlfisker) December 21, 2019
How big was this Epoch Times-related bot network?
— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) December 20, 2019
It had almost double the amount of Facebook followers as Kim Kardashian West.https://t.co/SjPkVEGMo3
Where is the Epoch Media Group getting all of this ad money.
— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) December 20, 2019
They spent $9.5 million just on Facebook ads, and just for this troll network. That was just a side-hustle.
Where is the money for the rest of it—like The Epoch Times' YouTube ads—coming from?https://t.co/SjPkVEGMo3
By the way, The Epoch Times' verified Facebook pages are still up. Over 10 million people (or maybe not people, after all!) are still following those accounts.
— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) December 20, 2019
The Epoch Times is still saturating YouTube in ads.https://t.co/SjPkVEGMo3
Facebook takes down hundreds of accounts linked to Epoch times.
— Agenthades (@Agenthades1) December 20, 2019
The group run by Vietnamese users posing as Americans with identities created by artificial intelligence, spent millions pushing Pro-Trump bullshit.https://t.co/mQKBg3j5PZ
Facebook says a pro-Trump media outlet used artificial intelligence to create fake people and push conspiracies https://t.co/bjKpDfyGhE
— Ken Pope, Ph.D., ABPP (@KenSPope) December 22, 2019
More on the hundreds of shuttered Facebook accounts tied to the Epoch Media Group (which owns Epoch Times and New Tang Dynasty) that used fake identities created by AI to push pro-Trump content. https://t.co/B9NrDrA2ZT
— Eric Fish (@ericfish85) December 21, 2019
Facebook says a pro-Trump media outlet used artificial intelligence to create fake people and push conspiracies | Via: nbcnews https://t.co/BdeUQi3gAT
— SafetyPin-Daily (@SafetyPinDaily) December 22, 2019
Oh COME ON!!! Seems the only way Trump and the GOP can win is by cheating! ?https://t.co/pp74E4aUxA
— Social✽Fly (@socflyny) December 21, 2019
Facebook says a pro-Trump media outlet used artificial intelligence to create fake people and push conspiracies. https://t.co/8uIUuLihd8
— Robbin ¯\_(ツ)_/¯☃️? (@RaeMargaret61) December 22, 2019
Facebook says a pro-Trump media outlet used artificial intelligence to create fake people and push conspiracies - NBC News
— Thancmar Feldt (@ThancmarFeldt) December 21, 2019
Read more here: https://t.co/p87oJumoLg#ArtificialIntelligence #MachineLearning #ML #DataScience #DeepLearning #AI #IoT #BigData
Epoch Times err by manipulating it's followers.https://t.co/ARuiaMFCVi
— Ellen McCain (@RespectWomen16) December 20, 2019
We are being propagandized at a level never seen before.
— Justice4all (@JamesLindholm1) December 21, 2019
The is no warning system for this We need educated and alerted
Facebook says a pro-Trump media outlet used artificial intelligence to create fake people and push conspiracies https://t.co/loQOIamZLF via @nbcnews
Facebook says a pro-Trump media outlet used artificial intelligence to create fake people and push conspiracies https://t.co/KSCfKR4KB6 #ArtificialIntelligence
— Data science (@Datascience__) December 22, 2019
Facebook and Twitter shutter pro-Trump network reaching 55 million accounts https://t.co/v0oSh4IM18
— DRUDGE REPORT (Not Matt) Text TRUMP to 88022 (@DRUDGE_REPORT) December 22, 2019
On Friday, Facebook and Twitter shut down a network of fake accounts that pushed pro-Trump messages all while “masquerading” as Americans with AI-generated faces as profile photos.
— bank·a·ble (@mbuguanjihia) December 21, 2019
The account were affiliated to a US-based media company called The BL. https://t.co/f6IA4Y04eY
Facebook and Twitter shutter pro-Trump network reaching 55 million accounts https://t.co/tI53ZwMgfw via @Verge
— Wallis Weaver (@wallisweaver) December 21, 2019
Facebook declined to respond to our inquiries or act against The BL and is now taking credit for discovering and stopping the BL: https://t.co/XJXuy6vRjZ
— David Mikkelson (@davidpmikkelson) December 20, 2019
THIS AFFECTS EVERYONE! SEE MY PINNED TWEET FOR @MADDOW COVERAGE OF THIS!!!!
— ʎɐpoʇ ʇıɥs ǝɯos pǝʇɹɐʇs I (@Katipoop) December 22, 2019
Facebook Removes Deceptive BL Network Following Snopes’ Reporting https://t.co/u81W3Cg7Kn via @snopes
This is a really important article for a couple of reasons. I'll explain. But first, I want to re-post a quote from Hanna Arendt (1951) that is critical to understand at this time in our history.
— Gary Bernier (@ronin51) December 21, 2019
"The... https://t.co/EwQY6Ps3wz
We reported on the likely trend of AI being used in political campaigns to flood the net with fake accounts and news. https://t.co/7yM7xwh06q
— Chris Griffith (@chris_griffith) December 21, 2019
Now it is happening & being called out https://t.co/TF1nqMkSM5 #FakeNews #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #SocialMedia