A growing number of governments are spreading disinformation online

In the run-up to Uganda’s general election on January 14th, social-media platforms are struggling to combat propaganda and fake news. This week Facebook announced that it had taken down a network of government-linked accounts that it alleges engaged in “coordinated inauthentic behaviour” aimed at boosting support for Yoweri Museveni, the country’s president, at the expense of his opponents.

The social-media giant says the Government Citizens Interaction Centre, part of the Ministry of Information, used “fake and duplicate accounts” to manipulate public opinion. “Given the impending election in Uganda, we moved quickly to investigate and take down this network,” Facebook said in a statement.

Fonte: The Economist. Leia o texto completo aqui.