Iranian operatives used AI to impersonate Americans

Meta removed a network of Facebook and Instagram accounts tied to an Iran-based operation that used AI to target U.S. audiences with posts about American politics, the company first shared with Axios.

Why it matters: The operation attracted thousands of followers and included accounts posing as everyday Americans to appear more authentic.

Driving the news: As part of a broader threat report released today, Meta said it disrupted four Facebook accounts and 31 Instagram accounts linked to actors based in Iran.

• Across the accounts, operators shared memes expressing anti-Republican views and messaging on the Israel-Palestine conflict and immigration, according to Meta.
• Meta also said the operators used AI to create some of the content posted on the accounts, including memes.
• A Meta spokesperson told Axios that the company shared information about the operation with U.S. law enforcement.

Zoom in: During the campaign, operators also posed as U.S.-based individuals, including activists, students and graphic designers, who claimed to live in major cities like Washington, D.C, San Diego and Atlanta.

• The operators tagged real journalists and politicians in their posts and directly messaged high-profile political figures and news outlets to solicit content collaborations. However, none of those collaboration efforts were successful, a spokesperson told Axios.
• Roughly 79,400 accounts followed one or more of the inauthentic meme accounts on Instagram, Meta found.

The big picture: AI-generated content has become a routine part of online influence operations with Meta saying it finds the technology's use in virtually every influence network it disrupts.

• While the tactics used in the new Iran-backed campaign aren't especially novel, the breadth of the engagement and follower count is notable.
• Meta estimates that this campaign had "moderate" reach.
• A spokesperson told Axios it generated "meaningful but limited" engagement. State-backed campaigns typically have had low reach and engagement.

The intrigue: The actors routed their traffic exclusively through proxy and hosting services in the U.S. and Canada, making their Iranian origins more difficult to detect, Meta said.

What to watch: Meta has been investing in AI technologies to help detect behaviors tied to inauthentic accounts and take them down at a faster speed.

Go deeper: Foreign disinformation enters AI-powered era