--- title: "US Military Annoyed When Facebook and Twitter Removed Its PSYOP Bots" description: "Inspector Gadget If spy literature has taught us anything, it's that covert operators sure do love their toys. They also, apparently, really don't like when you threaten to take their toys away. Case in point: per The Washington Post, the Pentagon is to conduct a \"sweeping audit\" of the US military's social media-driven PSYOP practices, following efforts […]" date: "2022-09-20" modified: "2022-09-20" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/us-military-social-psyop-bots" categories: - "Future Society" - "Military" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "disinformation" - "social media" - "the digest" - "US military" --- # US Military Annoyed When Facebook and Twitter Removed Its PSYOP Bots ![The Pentagon is reportedly to conduct an audit of the US military's social media PSYOP practices, following the removal of several fake bot accounts.]() *\Image: Getty Images/Futurism\* ## Inspector Gadget If spy literature has taught us anything, it's that covert operators sure do love their toys. They also, apparently, *really* don't like when you threaten to take their toys away. Case in point: [per *The Washington Post*](), the Pentagon is to conduct a "sweeping audit" of the US military's social media-driven psychological operations (PSYOP) practices, following efforts by Facebook and Twitter to remove fake, propaganda-laden bot accounts connected to the US military. Unsurprisingly, a lot of folks at the Department of Defense (DoD) are none too pleased. "Combatant commanders got really excited," an unnamed defense official told *WaPo*. "They were very eager to utilize these new authorities. The defense contractors were equally eager to land lucrative classified contracts to enable clandestine influence operations." ## Scarce Details While the details about the specific content that Facebook and Twitter chose to remove from their platforms are relatively scarce, officials confirmed to *WaPo* that most of the take-downs occurred within the last two to three years. One particularly egregious case of disinformation was a fake story involving organ theft, apparently designed to encourage a rift between Afghans and Iranians. Importantly, sourced alleged to *WaPo* that the social platforms in question weren't taking US military content down for the sake of, you know, truth. Rather, execs like David Agranovich, Facebook's director for global threat disruption, were flagging the issue as a military failure, essentially warning the DoD that if they can snuff out the fake accounts, so can international rivals. "\[Agranovich's\] point‚" one person involved told the paper, "was 'Guys, you got caught. That's a problem.'" ## Playground Games DoD officials have defended their digital PSYOP efforts, their basic argument being whataboutism — if other nations do it, why shouldn't we? "Our adversaries are absolutely operating in the information domain," an unnamed senior defense official told *WaPo*. "There are some who think we shouldn’t do anything clandestine in that space. Ceding an entire domain to an adversary would be unwise. But we need stronger policy guardrails." Gotta be real: that sounds flimsy, not to mention dangerous. And at the end of the day, these might be the Pentagon's toys, but it isn't their playground. Facebook and Twitter rule their separate sandboxes, and it's well within their rights to remove any content they deem unfit. After all, isn't that [what we've been asking them to do]()? **READ MORE:** *[Pentagon opens sweeping review of clandestine psychological operations]()* \[*The Washington Post*\] **More on Pentagon tech woes:** *[Pentagon Tech Chief Quits in Frustration, Says Us Has No "Fighting Chance" Against China]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()