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Tech Giants Target Accounts Linked to Iran
(Wall Street Journal) Dustin Volz and Robert McMillan - America's biggest tech companies are zeroing in on Iran, scrubbing their online networks of fake accounts, videos and social-media posts aimed at spreading misinformation. Google on Thursday said it had terminated 39 video channels on YouTube, six blogs on its Blogger platform and 13 accounts on the Google+ social-networking hub found to be pushing misinformation on behalf of Iran's state broadcasting arm. Google's investigators uncovered evidence that the accounts it took down are connected with the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, which has been under U.S. sanctions since 2013. The fake accounts promoted "particular narratives and angles in line with Iranian national interests," such as pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli stories, said Lee Foster, a manager with the security company FireEye. Facebook said it had taken down 652 pages and accounts and Twitter suspended 284 accounts they said were part of Iranian influence efforts.