Facebook Bans Marketing Firm That Made Fake Accounts For Conservative Nonprofit Turning Point Action

Topline

Facebook on Thursday banned a marketing company for creating fake accounts on behalf of right-wing nonprofit Turning Point Action, a tactic used by foreign and domestic actors to improperly influence political discourse in the U.S.

Key Facts

Crucial Quote

“Although the people behind this network attempted to conceal their identities and coordination, our investigation linked this activity to Rally Forge, a US marketing firm, working on behalf of Turning Point USA and Inclusive Conservation Group,” Nathaniel Gleicher, Facebook’s head of security policy, said in a blog post.

Key Background

Turning Point Action was founded by 26-year-old Charlie Kirk, an ardent Trump supporter who spoke at the Republican National Convention and has 1.8 million Twitter followers. Turning Point Action is a 501(c)(4) offshoot of Turning Point USA, a right-wing youth nonprofit promoting “freedom” on college campuses. Turning Point Action said in a statement it is an “entirely separate entity” from Turning Point USA, though both were founded by Kirk and use similar branding.

Tangent

 Right wing content on Facebook tends to be more popular than left wing posts. But Turning Points USA isn’t the only conservative organization to get punished for breaking Facebook’s rules. The company gave the Daily Wire, which was founded by Ben Shapiro, a warning in July for having an undisclosed paid relationship with Mad World News to promote its stories, according to the newsletter Popular Information.