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Did a social media researcher identify fake accounts posing as minority supporters of President Trump?

Friday, October 16, 2020
By Esther Tsvayg
YES

In mid-September, Clemson University social media researcher Darren Linvill began investigating dozens of Twitter accounts purported to belong to Black people expressing support for President Trump. According to the Washington Post, Twitter has since suspended all but one of these accounts, which turned out to be bots with thousands of followers, generating more than 265,000 mentions.

Facebook, Instagram and Twitter have all reportedly identified fake accounts from foreign actors posing as Black Trump supporters. The use of what's become known as "digital blackface" has been studied as an effective disinformation tactic in influencing Black voters.

In July Facebook said it removed 35 Facebook accounts and 88 Instagram accounts, originating in Romania, for violating its foreign interference policy. Some of the accounts had user names like "BlackPeopleVoteForTrump."

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