Meta Warns on the Use of Spyware to Propagate Misinformation

A recent report by Meta has warned that “the use of spyware to indiscriminately target people is a persistent threat because surveillance-for-hire companies continue to adapt and change tactics in the face of efforts to shut down their capabilities.”

The company said that it had made efforts to remove a number of firms, including two linked to Russia, one based in Israel, and an organization in China that have violated data privacy policy

According to Stephanie Kirchgaessner, “in one case, Meta said it removed more than 100 accounts on Facebook and Instagram linked to a company called Avalanche in Russia, which it said sold access to a platform that allows spying across the internet.”

In addition, the company has confirmed that a number of individuals and groups were “targeted using the Russian network, from environmental activists, members of the media, NGOs in the US and politicians.”

As per Stephanie, other companies that were removed from Meta platforms include Social Links and Cyberglobes, based in the US and Israel respectively.

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The head of security policy at Meta Nathaniel Gleicher said, Meta had, “sought to share information about threats with governments and other technology companies to mitigate the threat against users.”  

He submitted: “Our key goal is to do everything we can to protect people. So we share our insights with our industry peers. Twitter is going through a transition right now and most of the people we’ve dealt with have moved on. As a result, we have to wait and see what they announce in these threat areas.”

Additionally, Gleicher expressed his concerns that, “no single company could tackle a society-wide challenge such as spyware.” “They [spyware companies] are very ready to keep trying to come back, to re-establish their businesses,” he said.

The company added in a report that: “These companies are part of a sprawling industry that provides intrusive software tools and surveillance services indiscriminately to any customer – regardless of who they target or the human rights abuses they might enable.”