Twitter blocks Saudi 'state-backed' manipulation effort

Twitter said Friday it had suspended thousands of accounts linked to a manipulation effort stemming from Saudi Arabia, in the latest social media crackdown on state-sponsored propaganda efforts.

The online service said some 88,000 accounts being blocked were linked to Saudi state-backed "information operations" in violation of Twitter's platform manipulation rules.

Most of the accounts were in Arabic and aimed at "amplifying messages favourable to Saudi authorities," but that some English language content was aimed at "Western audiences."
Smaat was working for "high-profile individuals," Twitter said, and several government departments in Saudi Arabia, using automated tools "to mask the overall platform manipulation originating from these accounts."
One dated November 11, 2016 showed a photo of billionaire George Soros -- a frequent target of conservatives -- and said Trump should put him "on the FBI most wanted list."
Another from October 2016 showed a picture of former president Bill Clinton and said: "You don't even need these polls, Donald Trump won. You can read it on Bill Clinton's face."
"The BL-focused network repeatedly violated a number of our policies, including our policies against coordinated inauthentic behavior, spam and misrepresentation, to name just a few."