Meta, the parent company of Facebook, announced on Monday that it had detected and eliminated a thousand Facebook and Instagram accounts operated by a Nicaraguan government "troll factory" to manipulate public debate, one week before the presidential election in this country.

“It was really a (Nicaraguan) government operation.

The troll factory was made up of several groups that were administered by multiple government entities, ”Meta's global head of security against influence operations, Ben Nimmo, told AFP.

937 Facebook accounts deleted

The “troll factory” had been operating since April 2018, when the crackdown on demonstrations by opponents demanding the resignation of President Daniel Ortega left at least 300 dead.

A total of 937 Facebook accounts, 363 Instagram accounts, 140 Facebook pages and 24 social media groups were deleted in October.

These accounts were managed by the Nicaraguan government or by the party in power since 2007, the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN, ex-Marxist guerrilla).

Seven opponents of Ortega already arrested

President Daniel Ortega is seeking a fourth consecutive term on Sunday.

Seven of his potential opponents for the presidential election have been arrested - imprisoned or under house arrest - since June, along with around 40 opponents.

According to Mr. Nimmo, the "troll factory" was mainly run by human beings, mostly employees of the Nicaraguan Institute of Posts and Telecommunications (Telcor) who worked from the premises of the headquarters of the public company in Managua.

The premises of the Supreme Court and the Social Security Institute were also used for these operations.

All "these groups were technically connected to the main operation, so they were not separate efforts, they were offshoots of the main network," he said.

Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“The troll factory created or invented so-called means of communication on sites like Blogspot and WordPress, and distributed them through Twitter, YouTube, Telegram and TikTok accounts, as well as Facebook and Instagram,” according to the Meta official. “The aim was to flood online conversations in Nicaragua with messages favorable to the government and against the opposition,” Nimmo said. “We eliminate these networks based on their behavior on our platform, not based on who acts under the guise of these networks or the content posted. We rely on the behavior and use of fake accounts, ”he stressed.

The Nicaraguan government's “troll factory” operated Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with a lunch break.

Its production dropped notably during the weekends.

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