Facebook shuts down “fake accounts” allegedly linked to Ugandan Ministry of Information

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – Facebook has closed the accounts of a network connected to Uganda’s Ministry of Information on the grounds that the network has been using fake accounts to promote Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) ahead of the country’s December 14 presidential elections, Voice of America (VOA) reports.

In a statement, Facebook said the accounts it shut down were apparently linked to the “Citizens Interaction Center” at Uganda’s Ministry of Information and Communications Technology. According to the social media giant, false and duplicate accounts had been used to manage pages, comment on other people’s posts, impersonate users, and re-share posts in groups to make them look popular.

Responding to Facebook’s action, the center’s deputy head Duncan Abigaba said in a statement that the accounts had been targeted for supporting President Museveni, who has been in power for 34 years. Abigaba said the action was unfair as the opposition National Unity Platform party led by Bobi Wine was using Facebook to promote Wine for president, VOA reports.

“So, NRM had to try and sell our candidate as well in the social media space. By selling the candidate, it means you have to employ different tactics including you put out content. And this content you must share it in different groups for it to have as much reach as possible,” Abigaba said.

In any event, VOA notes, the opposition NUP party has also been accused of misusing Facebook accounts: last year the Uganda Communications Commission demanded that Facebook and Twitter shut down several accounts it claimed were being misused by members of the NUP.

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