''Facebook has toughened up its rules governing political advertisements in India and many other countries to increase transparency''
Total of 805 pages, accounts linked to Indian opposition party, Pakistani military removed for 'inauthentic behavior'.
Facebook has removed more than 1,100 pages, groups and accounts from India and Pakistan because of "coordinated inauthentic behavior or spam" on the social media platform.
Facebook announced on Monday it had taken down 687 pages and accounts linked to India's main opposition Congress party, just days before voting begins in a general election, for engaging in coordinated inauthentic behavior.
The media giant has faced increasing pressure from authorities around the world to ensure its platforms are not abused for political gains or to spread misinformation, especially ahead of elections.
Facebook said its investigation found that individuals used fake accounts and joined various groups to disseminate their content and increase engagement.
Their posts included local news and criticism of political opponents such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Facebook said.
"While the people behind this activity attempted to conceal their identities, our review found that it was connected to individuals associated with an INC (Indian National Congress) IT Cell," Nathaniel Gleicher, head of cyber-security policy at Facebook, said in a statement.
Gleicher added that Facebook was removing accounts based on their behavior, not the content they posted.
