Meta removed a network of Facebook and Instagram accounts linked to an Iran-based operation that used artificial intelligence to target American audiences with posts about current U.S. political affairs, according to information shared by the company and cited by Axios.

The operation had managed to attract thousands of followers, while the network included accounts that presented themselves as ordinary American citizens, in an effort to make the content they posted appear more authentic.

As part of a broader threat report released in recent hours, Meta announced that it had dismantled a network consisting of four Facebook accounts and 31 Instagram accounts linked to individuals operating from Iran.

Through these accounts, the operators posted, among other things, memes containing anti-Republican messages, as well as content concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and immigration, according to Meta. The company also said that the operators used artificial intelligence tools to create some of the material they posted, including memes.

A Meta spokesperson told Axios that the company had shared information about the operation with U.S. law enforcement authorities.

Posed as American Activists, Students, and Graphic Designers

During the campaign, the network’s operators also presented themselves as people living in the United States, including activists, students, and graphic designers.

The accounts claimed that their users lived in major American cities such as Washington, San Diego, and Atlanta.

The operators tagged real journalists and politicians in their posts and also sent direct messages to prominent political figures and media outlets, seeking collaborations to create content. However, none of these attempts at collaboration produced results, according to a Meta spokesperson.

Of particular interest is the size of the audience the network managed to build. According to company data, approximately 79,400 accounts followed one or more of the fake meme accounts on Instagram.

Artificial Intelligence in Influence Operations

AI-generated content has now become a common tool used by online influence operations.

Meta says it detects the use of this technology in nearly every influence network it discovers and dismantles.

Although the tactics used in the new Iran-linked operation are not considered particularly novel, what stands out is the extent of engagement the network managed to generate, as well as the number of followers it amassed.

Meta estimates that the campaign had “moderate” reach.

A company spokesperson told Axios that the network achieved “meaningful but limited” engagement with users. Typically, according to the company, state-backed influence campaigns record low reach and limited engagement.

How They Tried to Hide Their Tracks

The people behind the network had taken measures to make it more difficult to identify the operation’s true origin.

According to Meta, all of their online traffic was routed exclusively through proxy and hosting services in the United States and Canada. This made it more difficult to determine that the activity of the accounts was actually originating from Iran.

Meta is now investing in artificial intelligence technologies to identify behaviors associated with inauthentic accounts more quickly and remove them from its platforms in a shorter period of time.