This article originated in VOA's Persian Service. Cindy Saine contributed from the State Department.
The United States has reacted with concern to reports that a recently discovered pro-Iran social media network that deceptively targeted Americans is more sophisticated than a similar network identified last year.
In a report published Tuesday, California-based cybersecurity company FireEye said it recently uncovered a network of English-language social media accounts that engaged in "inauthentic behavior and misrepresentation" in support of "Iranian political interests." It said it made the determination about the network's support of Iranian political interests with "low confidence."
FireEye's report said some of the network's users adopted fake social media personas to pose as American journalists and activists espousing progressive and conservative political stances, while others "impersonated real American individuals, including a handful of Republican political candidates that ran for House of Representatives seats in 2018."
It said the account owners used the fake and impersonated personas to persuade U.S. and Israeli media outlets to publish news commentaries, lobby journalists to cover specific topics, and conduct audio and video interviews with U.S. and Britain-based individuals.
FILE - An iPhone with Twitter, Facebook and other apps, May 21, 2013.
More sophisticated operation
In comments to The Washington Post published Wednesday, FireEye senior manager Lee Foster said the network's theft of real-world identities and attempts to engage with specific, highly influential individuals online represented a "more sophisticated" operation than what it called an "Iranian influence campaign" that it uncovered in August 2018.
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