LONDON (ShareCast) - (Sharecast News) - Facebook said it has found page groups and profiles on its platforms engaged in coordinated inauthentic behaviour that could be aimed at meddling in the US midterm elections.
On Sunday the social media company was informed by authorities of online activity that could be linked to foreign entities. Facebook deleted 30 Facebook accounts and 85 Instagram accounts that could be engaged in coordinated "inauthentic" behaviour.

Almost all of the accounts on Facebook were in French or Russian and the Instagram accounts were mostly in English and focused on celebrities and political debate.

US government investigators, academic and security firms believe Russian agents are developing new tactics to meddle in the midterm elections but are still active.

"The Russians are definitely not sitting this one out," Graham Brookie, director of the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab told Reuters. "They have adapted over time to increased (U.S.) focus on influence operations."

On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman declined to comment on allegations of further meddling in the latest elections and denied any involvement of the government.

The company that was linked to the hacks in previous elections, Russia's Internet Research Agency, spent $12m on a project to influence the result through social media in 2016 and budgeted $12.2m for last year.

Court filings showed the accountant at the St Petersburg-based company proposed $10m spending in the first half of 2018, Reuters reported.

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