Facebook Removed Hundreds of “Misinformation” Profiles About Astra Zeneca and Pfizer Vaccines

Facebook says hundreds of profiles linked to a mysterious advertising agency trying to pay influencers on social media to tarnish Pfizer and Astra Zeneca vaccines against Covid-19 have been removed.

A group of 56 Facebook profiles and 243 Instagram profiles were found in the advertising and marketing agency Faze, which operates from Russia for an unknown client. The group used fake orders to spread false allegations challenging the safety of those vaccines. The profiles were targeted at India, South America and, to a lesser extent, the United States, using several social platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram.

Russia is actively offering its Sputnik V vaccine abroad, which some analysts say pursues geopolitical goals. Representatives of Facebook refused to make assumptions about the possible motivation of this defamation campaign.