Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Facebook used in operation to 'destabilise' Moldova government

Facebook used in operation to 'destabilise' Moldova government

Facebook has since removed the ads paid by the exiled oligarch Ilan Shor but experts believe they've managed to have an impact on Moldovan society

Facebook is again under fire for allowing a pro-Russian oligarch to run paid ads on their platform -- even after he had been sanctioned -- with the aim of destabilising the government of Moldova.

Ilan Shor, an opposition politician has been put on the US government’s sanctions list for trying to undermine Moldova on behalf of Russia back in October 2022.

Currently living in exile in Israel, he is implicated in a $1 billion theft from Moldovan banks in 2014.

In his paid ads on Facebook, Ilan Shor is frequently attempting to round up support for anti-government protests and accusing Maia Sandu, the pro-Western President of Moldova of corruption.

"This campaign goal's includes denigrating the European Union, the European integration plans of Moldova, and diminishing the role of this war started by Putin in the economic and social crisis in Moldova," explained Valeriu Pașa, the president of Watchdog Moldova.

But in 2021, Moldovans elected a pro-European government after years of Russia-friendly ruling politicians. In June 2022, Moldova was granted EU candidate status, the same day as Ukraine.

As a person under sanctions, Shor is not allowed to engage in any financial transactions with Facebook or any other US company.

But his team have found a loophole by buying Facebook pages from other countries such as Vietnam and then running ads through them for example.


An effective influence campaign


Last autumn, Moldova was rocked by a series of anti-government protests initiated by the Shor Party. Thousands took to the streets of the capital to protest against rising energy prices.

Most of the ads were ultimately removed by Facebook but not before they were watched millions of times in a small country with a population of about 2.6 million people.

According to Valeriu Pașa, Meta's (Facebook's parent company) slow response has had a detrimental impact on public opinion.

"We see some actions from Meta but the reactions are very slow and absolutely inefficient because the impact is done and all of these pages and people behind them, are still violating Facebook's own rules," he told Euronews.

"Meta is not doing enough to fight all this disinformation, which is very impactful in Moldova," he explained.

Meta promised to crack down on these influence campaigns in response to the war in Ukraine.

"We’ve established a special operations center staffed by experts from across the company, including native Russian and Ukrainian speakers, who are monitoring the platform around the clock, allowing us to respond to issues in real time," wrote the company in a statement.

But nothing in their policy update mentions Moldova. The Cube has reached out to Meta, a spokesperson emailed us back with a comment.

"We took away this sanctioned individual’s ability to advertise on our apps when he was added to the US sanctions list," said a Meta spokesperson via email.

"In response, we detected efforts to use other Pages and accounts in an attempt to amplify his content. We took them down as a result of our own internal detection and also tip-offs by civil society in Moldova. We know that malicious actors like this are persistent and we’re continuing to monitor and take action."

Meanwhile, Moldovan NGOs like Watchdog.Md are pleading with Meta for more resources and staff to better monitor the situation.

Like many big tech firms based in the US, Meta has sometimes struggled to moderate content in languages other than English.

"What we are really asking for is at least one person to be in contact with independent NGOs in Moldova speaks Romanian and Russian, and who preferably knows a little bit about the regional context to help us improve the informational environment on Facebook," said Pașa.

"Meta is not the poorest company in the world, so I don't see why they can't hire one person to monitor content in Moldova."

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
×