Facebook pages impersonating foreign media violate Meta’s policies, run Ads
Several Facebook pages have been found using the names and logos of foreign media outlets. Some of these pages have gained significant popularity, while others have been used to run advertisements. Operating a page in a way that creates confusion about representing a person, business, or organization violates Meta’s policies. However, these pages remain active despite such violations. Dismislab has identified fake pages created using the names and logos of outlets including Al Jazeera, Reuters, Zee News, and Geo News.
Some of these pages were also seen running ads. Two pages—Geo News Bangla and Zee News Bangla—used the names and logos of Pakistan’s Geo News and India’s Zee News to promote ads. The ads supported the NBR Reform Unity Council’s campaign, which featured content targeting the chairman and other officials of the National Board of Revenue.
Facebook pages using foreign media names and logos remain active
Searching “Al Jazeera” on Facebook, Dismislab identified at least 27 pages using the media outlet’s name and logo.
One of them, a page titled “Al-Jazeera Bangla,” has gained notable popularity, with nearly 65,000 likes and about 94,000 followers. The page administrator is located in the United Arab Emirates, and the phone number listed in the “About” section is also registered in the UAE. The page was created on December 24, 2024. In the review section, one user commented, “This is a fake page, stealing videos from different pages and publishing them as Al Jazeera Bangla.”
An analysis of the page’s most recent 50 posts, as of 1 July, shows that most content is about the Iran-Israel conflict and Palestine. Five posts relate to Bangladesh. On average, each post received 19 comments, over 1,000 reactions, and 134 shares—indicating a strong level of engagement.
The page frequently shares videos and photo cards on various international and domestic events, each branded with the Al Jazeera logo and the label “Al-Jazeera Bangla.”
Another page using Al Jazeera’s name and logo was created on June 16 of this year. Although no posts were found on the page so far, it was seen promoting itself through paid ads. This page has already gained more than 10,000 likes.
At least a dozen other pages were also found using the Al Jazeera name and logo. Two of those pages (1, 2) each had over 10,000 likes.
When contacted about these pages, Al Jazeera’s representative in Bangladesh told Dismislab that the outlet has no Bangla-language page. He also confirmed that aside from Arabic and English, Al Jazeera does not operate in any other languages.
Another example is a page called “Reuters Bangla,” which was created on May 25 this year. It had 7 likes and 22 followers. The page uses Reuters’ logo in its profile.
Fake Pages Mimicking Foreign News Outlets Ran Ads Related to NBR Protests
Two fake Facebook pages, created using the names and logos of leading Indian and Pakistani news outlets Zee News and Geo News, were found running advertisements. These ads promoted the campaign led by the NBR Reform Unity Council.
On May 12 this year, the interim government announced the dissolution of the National Board of Revenue (NBR), replacing it with two new departments: Revenue Policy and Revenue Administration. Following the decision, NBR officials and employees launched protests under the banner of the NBR Reform Unity Council. In response, the government reversed its decision on May 25. However, the protests continued, demanding the removal of the NBR chairman. On June 29, leaders of the Reform Unity Council announced an end to their protests. During this period, the two Facebook pages—Zee News Bangla and Geo News Bangla—were seen running ads in support of the campaign.
The page “Geo News Bangla,” which mimicked the logo and branding of Pakistan’s Geo News, was created on September 14, 2024. However, the first post appeared on March 5 this year. A total of 37 posts have been published on the page so far. On May 17, the profile picture was updated to show the Geo News logo with the name “Geo News Bangla.” When contacted, a Geo News spokesperson told Dismislab, “This is fake. We have no connection to this page.” The page currently has 241 likes and 300 followers.
The “Zee News Bangla” page, modeled after India’s Zee News, was created on May 30 this year. On the same day, it updated its profile picture to include the Zee News logo. The very next post targeted the NBR chairman, stating that after he was declared unwelcome by the NBR Reform Unity Council, he entered the office under police protection. Of the 16 posts found on the page, 13 were related to the NBR. The page has 10 likes and no followers.
Almost all ads from both Geo News Bangla and Zee News Bangla focused on the protests related to NBR. Ads from the Geo News Bangla page were categorized under “social issues, elections, or politics.”
So far, the Geo News Bangla page has run 46 ads, at least 28 of which focused on issues surrounding the NBR, especially its chairman. Based on the average spending ranges listed in Meta’s Ad Library, a total of approximately BDT 98,077 was spent on these ads, averaging around BDT 2,132 per ad.
There were at least two identical posts found on both pages. One featured photos, names, and titles of the NBR chairman and 15 other bureaucrats, with a caption that read, “Identify the allies of fascist NBR Chairman Abdur Rahman Khan in the income tax department.” Another post warned of an indefinite shutdown from June 28 if the chairman was not removed. Both posts were shared on the same day.
The NBR Reform Unity Council withdrew its protests on June 29. The last ad from the Geo News Bangla page ran on June 28. The page is no longer active. According to Meta’s Ad Library, the page has either been unpublished or deleted. The Zee News Bangla page involved in these ads is also currently inactive.
Another page named “Zee News Bangla,” created on July 4, 2017, still exists. It has nearly 17,000 likes and about 18,000 followers. Although categorized as a “Media/News Company,” it mostly shares entertainment videos and images. The page bio includes a link to a media outlet named “www.news-bd.net,” which no longer works.
Pages Continue Operating Despite Violating Meta Policies
Meta’s policies clearly state that no Facebook profile or page may impersonate or falsely represent a person, organization, or entity. According to Meta, Facebook does not allow profiles that, through names or profile photos, may mislead or deceive users by impersonating someone else.
Despite this, pages such as Geo News Bangla, Zee News Bangla, Al-Jazeera Bangla, and Reuters Bangla clearly violate these policies. Yet Facebook has failed to detect them. Some of these pages have also run advertisements.
This issue is not limited to Facebook. Fake YouTube channels using the names and logos of major media outlets have also been found. A Dismislab report published on April 8, 2024, identified 58 such YouTube channels that were uploading videos in Bangla using the logos and branding of global news outlets including BBC, Al Jazeera, ABC, and Reuters.
Pages or channels operating under the names of well-known media outlets risk being perceived as more credible by audiences. The Dismislab report referenced a 2018 UNESCO study, which noted: “There are limited mechanisms to regulate the quality of content on social media and messaging platforms, making it easy to impersonate recognized news organizations. As a result, even deliberate deception can appear credible.”
The issue of fake Facebook pages using the names of established media outlets was also documented in a 2020 report by West African fact-checking organization Dubawa. The report found that such pages were used to spread misinformation. AFP fact-checker Segun Olakoyenikan told Dubawa that when these pages spread false information, are fact-checked, and flagged, people tend to believe that the misinformation came from the legitimate news outlet.
To protect against such pages, Dubawa provided several tips:
- Check if the page is verified.
- Make sure the page name matches the username or URL.
- Look for spelling or grammatical errors in the content.
- Verify whether the logo matches the original.
- Review the number of likes and followers.
- Check if the “About” section includes local phone numbers or links to personal blogs or unrelated websites.
- See if the page posts regularly.
