Google removes dozens of YouTube channels linked to 'influence operation'

Google removes dozens of YouTube channels linked to 'influence operation': Google removed dozens of YouTube channels, blogs and social media accounts linked to an “influence operation” allegedly sponsored by the Iranian government, the company announced on Thursday. Google also announced that it had recently notified Gmail users targeted by phishing campaigns from “a wide range of countries,” including Iran. Google linked the accounts to the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting and dated the operation back to at least January 2017. Based on the global nature of the activity, it appears the operations are not targeted at the U.S. midterm elections. The action followed Monday’s termination of hundreds of accounts on Facebook and Twitter linked to a group known as “Liberty Front Press,” an effort also tied to Iran. “Our technical research has identified evidence that these actors are associated with the IRIB, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting,” Kent Walker, Google’s senior vice president of global affairs, said in a …

explicita