300 Facebook and Instagram accounts banned for claiming Covid-19 vaccines turn humans into chimpanzees

Facebook has banned the accounts of nearly 300 of its users that shared links with Russian disinformation network, claiming that the Covid-19 vaccines developed by pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and AstraZeneca can turn human beings into chimpanzees.

The accounts had largely operated out of Russia and falsely claimed that AstraZeneca created a vaccine based on chimpanzee genes, “when tests showed side effects, this vaccine should be banned, otherwise we will all become chimpanzees.” The network was also spreading misinformation about the Pfizer vaccines, and said they had a much higher casualty rate than other vaccines. Ben Nimmo, Global IO Threat Intelligence Lead and the IO Threat Intelligence Team at Facebook, reportedly said, “We removed 65 Facebook accounts and 243 Instagram accounts for violating our policy against foreign interference, which is coordinated inauthentic behaviour on behalf of a foreign entity.”

“This network operated across over a dozen platforms and forums but failed to build an audience. Our investigation found links between this campaign and Fazze. Fazze is now banned from our platform,” he added. Facebook later mentioned in a statement that the company will continue removing accounts of people who spread false news. “Our teams continue to focus on finding and removing deceptive campaigns around the world — whether they are foreign or domestic. We know that influence operation will keep evolving in response to our enforcement, and new deceptive behaviours will emerge,” Facebook reportedly said.