Facebook says it removed five government influence campaigns in February

Facebook on Monday disclosed it removed five online misinformation campaigns connected to foreign governments in February alone, highlighting the threat social media companies continue to face from governments seeking to sow discord and spread misinformation using Silicon Valley's most powerful networks. Facebook revealed the information, which it partially released last month, in its first monthly report about "coordinated inauthentic behavior," the platform's term for networks of fake accounts and pages aimed at manipulating public conversations. Facebook is trying to prove that it is ramping up its efforts to combat online foreign interference campaigns after facing enormous scrutiny for failing to knee-cap a widespread Russian misinformation campaign during the 2016 presidential election.