Iranian operatives used AI to impersonate Americans

Meta removed four Facebook accounts and 31 Instagram accounts linked to an Iran-based operation that used AI to impersonate Americans and post about U.S. politics, attracting roughly 79,400 followers. The operation, which Meta shared with U.S. law enforcement, posed as activists, students, and graphic designers in U.S. cities and targeted journalists and politicians, though no collaborations succeeded. Meta noted that AI-generated content is now routine in influence networks it disrupts.

Meta removed a network of Facebook and Instagram accounts tied to an Iran-based operation that used AI to target U.S. audiences with posts about American politics, the company first shared with Axios. Why it matters: The operation attracted thousands of followers and included accounts posing as everyday Americans to appear more authentic. Driving the news: As part of a broader threat report released today, Meta said it disrupted four Facebook accounts and 31 Instagram accounts linked to actors based in Iran. Across the accounts, operators shared memes expressing anti-Republican views and messaging on the Israel-Palestine conflict and immigration, according to Meta. Meta also said the operators used AI to create some of the content posted on the accounts, including memes. A Meta spokesperson told Axios that the company shared information about the operation with U.S. law enforcement. Zoom in: During the campaign, operators also posed as U.S.-based individuals, including activists, students and graphic designers, who claimed to live in major cities like Washington, D.C, San Diego and Atlanta. The operators tagged real journalists and politicians in their posts and directly messaged high-profile political figures and news outlets to solicit content collaborations. However, none of those collaboration efforts were successful, a spokesperson told Axios. Roughly 79,400 accounts followed one or more of the inauthentic meme accounts on Instagram, Meta found. The big picture: AI-generated content has become a routine part of online influence operations with Meta saying it finds the technology's use in virtually every influence network it disrupts. While the tactics used in the new Iran-backed campaign aren't especially novel, the breadth of the engagement and follower count is notable. Meta estimates that this campaign had "moderate" reach. A spokesperson told Axios it generated "meaningful but limited" engagement. State-backed campaigns typically have had low reach and engagement. The intrigue: The actors routed their traffic exclusively through proxy and hosting services in the U.S. and Canada, making their Iranian origins more difficult to detect, Meta said. What to watch: Meta has been investing in AI technologies to help detect behaviors tied to inauthentic accounts and take them down at a faster speed. Go deeper: Foreign disinformation enters AI-powered era