Twitter Closes Thousands of Fake News Accounts Worldwide

Accounts coming from China seeking to sow discord among protesters in Hong Kong were among those closed down.

Advertisement
By Agence France-Presse | Updated: 20 September 2019 19:06 IST
Highlights
  • Twitter suspended fake news accounts in Spain and Ecuador
  • The company identified 4,302 accounts based in China
  • Pro-government propaganda accounts from Egypt were also closed

Twitter also closed accounts in United Arab Emirates, China and Spain

Twitter said Friday it has closed down thousands of accounts across the world for spreading fake news as well as pro-government propaganda, including in places like the United Arab Emirates, China and Spain.

Accounts coming from China seeking to sow discord among protesters in Hong Kong were closed down, as were accounts amplifying a pro-Saudi message coming from Egypt and the United Arab Emirates directed at Qatar and Yemen, Twitter said.

Advertisement

Fake news accounts were also suspended in Spain and Ecuador.

The information release is part of the company's push to improve understanding of how its platform is used by state actors to manipulate public opinion.

Advertisement

Twitter said they had identified 4,302 accounts based in China "attempting to sow discord about the protest movement in Hong Kong."

This follows the identification in August of more than 200,000 fake accounts in China engaged in fueling public discord in Hong Kong.

Advertisement

The announcement follows Facebook's removing fake accounts based in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE last month for posting misinformation about regional hotspots including Libya, Sudan and Yemen.

 

Get your daily dose of tech news, reviews, and insights, in under 80 characters on Gadgets 360 Turbo. Connect with fellow tech lovers on our Forum. Follow us on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News for instant updates. Catch all the action on our YouTube channel.

Further reading: Twitter
Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Valathu Vashathe Kallan OTT Release: Where to Watch Malayalam Crime Thriller Online
  2. These Four Xiaomi Phones Are Now Eligible to Get Android 17 Beta Updates
  3. Raakaasa OTT Release Date Confirmed: Know When and Where to Watch it Online
  4. Sony Issues Statement on New DRM Check for PS5, PS4 Games After Backlash
  5. Google TV Update Adds YouTube Shorts, Nano Banana and Veo Features
  1. ULA Atlas V Launches 29 Amazon Kuiper Satellites in Return Mission
  2. Moto Buds 2 Plus Launched in India With Hi-Res Audio, Up to 40 Hours of Total Playback Time: Price, Features
  3. iQOO Z11 Global Variant Spotted on Geekbench Database With Snapdragon Chipset, Unlike Chinese Model
  4. Samsung Reportedly Plans to Launch Galaxy Book Models With Android-Based One UI 9 Soon
  5. PS5 Linux Loader Gets Public Release, Allowing Users to Run Steam and PC Games on Console
  6. Nine Crypto Scam Centres Targeting US Users Shut Down in Joint Operation Involving UAE, US and China
  7. Google Photos Unveils New AI-Powered Wardrobe Feature to Help You Decide What to Wear
  8. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Teases GPT-5.5 Cyber AI Model Rollout, Could Take On Anthropic’s Claude Mythos
  9. Vivo X Fold 6 Leaks Hint at 200-Megapixel Camera, MediaTek Dimensity 9500 Chip and 7,000mAh Battery
  10. Raakaasa OTT Release Date Confirmed: Know When and Where to Watch it Online
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2026. All rights reserved.