Iran Latest Bad Actor to Spread Misinformation on Facebook
*By Carlo Versano*
Facebook, Twitter, and Microsoft all announced this week they had shut down accounts and websites created to spread misinformation or malware almost immediately after discovering them.
But the scope of the threat remains unclear.
"I don't think anybody has a sense of how big the disinformation efforts are online by various foreign adversaries," said Washington Post technology reporter Craig Timberg. "It's not clear to me there are any systems set up to catch it."
The latest sweep targeted accounts and posts all traced to Iran ー hundreds, in the case of Facebook and Twitter ー though they pale in comparison to the coordinated misinformation campaign the Russians deployed in 2016, Timberg said Wednesday in an interview on Cheddar.
The speed with which these companies are alerting the public indicates they realize a need to be proactive about manipulation efforts on their platforms, said Sara Fischer, a reporter for Axios who also appeared Wednesday on Cheddar.
"I think it gives them a little bit of an upper hand every time they come out and say, 'We found something,'" Fisher said. The hope is that a "more holistic effort" will develop between the public and private sectors to take on cybersecurity issues, she added.
Fischer said that Silicon Valley's attempts at transparency are currying favor with regulators in Washington and strengthening users' trust in the platforms.
"This is evolving from being a tech policy and tech response conversation to a national security conversation," she said.
Facebook [announced](https://newsroom.fb.com/news/2018/08/more-coordinated-inauthentic-behavior) on Tuesday it removed 652 accounts and pages with ties to Iran. Soon after, Twitter [said](https://twitter.com/TwitterSafety/status/1032055161978585088) it suspended 284 accounts, many of which also originated in Iran, all meant to engage "in coordinated manipulation."
The Iranian Facebook campaigns included anti-Saudi and anti-Israel content and were aimed at users in the U.S., UK, Latin America, and the Middle East, according to [Fireye](https://www.fireeye.com/blog/threat-research/2018/08/suspected-iranian-influence-operation.html), a cybersecurity firm that worked with Facebook on the investigation.
Both announcements follow a [report](https://cheddar.com/videos/microsoft-uncovers-new-russian-hacking-scheme) earlier in the week from Microsoft that found Russian intelligence groups had built a suite of fake U.S. political sites in an attempted spear-phishing campaign.
It has been well-established that social media can be used as a tool for manipulation by bad actors, Timberg said.
"We shouldn't believe everything we read on the internet," he said.
For full interview, [click here] (https://cheddar.com/videos/iranian-fake-news-accounts-targeted-people-around-the-world).
A new report from CNBC says Instagram recently reached a new milestone -- 2 billion monthly active users. It comes amid a year of controversy for the photo-sharing app and its parent company, Meta. SocialFlow CEO Jim Anderson joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
MotorTrend named the Rivian R1T as the 2022 truck of the year - a prestigious title given by the publication as a way for automakers to tout third-party validation. Rivian beat out traditional, legacy truck favorites like Ford and General Motors.
MotorTrend said the company earned high marks for safety, efficiency, value, advanced design, engineering excellence, and performance of intended function. MotorTend head of editorial Ed Loh joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
There is a new way for investors to bet on cannabis - the AdvisorShares Poseidon Dynamic Cannabis ETF targets about 20 of the biggest names in U.S. cannabis. It comes at a time when it's still difficult for investors to access the space. Cheddar News cannabis reporter Chloe Aiello spoke with co-founder and managing director for Poseidon Investment Management, Emily Paxhia.
Danvas is a new company that aims to bring NFTs and digital artwork into the real world through an interactive, museum-quality display. The company says its product is the first premium, luxury digital art canvas, which it hopes will accelerate the world's appreciation of digital artists and their work, and empower collectors to acquire more NFT art. Danvas also just announced its launch this week, with a $7 million seed round from some big-name backers. Danvas co-founder and CEO Jeanne Anderson joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
The California-based tech company specializing in enterprise cloud-based data analysis of connected internet of things (IoT) has gone public on the NYSE, and Samsara's CFO Dominic Phillips told Cheddar's Kristen Scholer that the timing was right for the public offering for the firm's next phase of growth. "We're going to continue to add to our go-to-market motion, we'll continue to build out our international presence, we'll continue to add more selling capacity specifically as we look to penetrate larger enterprise customers, and we'll look to continue to deploy money in R&D," he said.
If you’ve ever struggled with a slow home internet connection or mobile data download in the United States, you’re not alone. Despite mobile and internet companies claiming to have “the best nationwide coverage,” or whatever it is they say in those ads, millions of Americans still lack access to reliable, high-speed internet. But you may be surprised to learn who the real culprit behind this ongoing issue is: flawed, overly-optimistic government maps.
VR/AR collaboration platform Spatial is diving head first into the Metaverse. The company is switching up its image--now branding itself as 'the metaverse for cultural events,' aiming to become the new virtual hub for NFT galleries, brand experiences, and large-scale conferences. Jacob Loewenstein, Head of Business, Spatial, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss the company's pivot.
The past year has been huge for delivery services as people largely stayed home during the pandemic. Getir, an Istanbul-based company delivering goods in just 10 minutes, is officially launching in NYC. It comes as the company continues its international expansion. Nazim Salur, Founder, Getir, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss the opportunities in the new market.
Another successful spaceflight is in the books for Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin. The company's third human spaceflight blasted off from Van Horn, TX. on Saturday, lasting about ten minutes from takeoff to landing. The crew, which included former NFL star and current GMA host Michael Strahan, traveled to the edge of space and experienced a few minutes of weightlessness before the capsule descended back to earth. Andrew Chanin, CEO of ProcureAM, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss the significance of the launch.
After nearly two years of the pandemic, U.S. consumers are ready to spend big this holiday season. However, shoppers may be faced with limited inventory as the U.S. continues to face shortages of key products and extended order backlogs. Per Hong, partner at consulting firm Kearney, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss the country's path forward.
