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The operation consisted of just under 75,000 posts, mostly by Instagram accounts with relatively few followers, Graphika said. Only one account, which addressed environmental themes, had more than 20,000 followers.

A minority of the posts focused explicitly on the 2020 election, Graphika said. Several accounts voiced support for Trump, as well as for Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., a candidate for the Democratic nomination. The online operation aimed its fire at several Democratic candidates, including former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Sen. Kamala Harris of California.

Zuckerberg cautioned the threat is never 'going to go away'

Almost half of the accounts claimed to be based in swing states, with a specific focus on Florida.

Facebook also said it removed a group of 93 accounts linked to Iran that tried to “masquerade as locals” to post on political issues, primarily targeting the U.S. Another network tied to Iran misrepresented itself as a news agency and posted on race relations in the U.S.

Along with the new takedowns, Facebook on Monday revealed a slew of fresh policy changes, include new requirements for owners of Facebook pages, which must disclose more clearly the organizations that run them or whether they’re tied to a country’s state-owned media. Additionally, Facebook said it would implement more prominent labels around debunked news and tougher rules to prevent voter suppression.

The announcements seek to remedy some vulnerabilities that malicious actors have tapped in recent months to spread false or misleading posts, photos and videos. But the suite of policy and product fixes is unlikely to end the growing dispute over Facebook’s handling of political ads, particularly from Trump, that contain falsehoods. Facebook’s decision against fact-checking or blocking those ads – which Zuckerberg defended in an interview with The Washington Post last week – has drawn sharp rebukes from Democratic presidential candidates, who have accused Facebook of profiting from lies.