The social network said it had been investigating the misinformation in question (including 168 fake accounts, 28 pages and eight Instagram accounts) since early January, but added that the Trolless developers influenced its decision to remove offenders in February.

The incident isn't unique: the creator of the French site Hoaxbuster also reported having similar problems getting in touch. The findings suggest that the reporting tool isn't as effective as it's supposed to be, and that Facebook appears to prioritize input from its official fact-checking allies over that of independents. That in turn, raises the chances that fake accounts might go unnoticed at crucial moments. In Moldova, for instance, Russian influence campaigns have been present for a long time -- there's a real risk that a bogus Facebook post might succeed where conventional propaganda might fail.