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Tumblr outs 84 accounts it says are trying to game you

The microblogging site wants to avoid Facebook's mistakes.

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Tumblr

Tumblr published on Friday a list of user accounts it has linked to "state-sponsored disinformation campaigns," part of the microblogging site's effort to protect visitors from propaganda.  

So far, 84 accounts linked to state-sponsored campaigns have been listed. It appears Tumblr will add to the list if more users fit its criteria.

"Democracy requires transparency and an informed electorate, and we take our responsibilities very seriously," Tumblr wrote on its website. "We aggressively monitor Tumblr for signs of state-sponsored disinformation campaigns, and take the appropriate action when we uncover anything."

Tumblr's actions come at a time of heightened scrutiny of social engineering through social networks. Facebook, Twitter and other social networks have been accused of allowing fake news and planted opinions that influenced voter opinion in the 2016 US presidential campaign. Although not specifically stated here, Russia has been the center of these accusations. 

When asked to comment, Tumblr referred us to this blog post explaining its actions to protect against propaganda campaigns.

CNET reached out to the Russian Embassy for comment. 

Social engineering is also at the heart of a scandal embroiling Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerburg. The personal data of millions of Facebook users were collected through a legitimate app that didn't violate Facebook's policies at the time, but then shared with Cambridge Analytica, a UK-based data consultancy identified as misusing the data to sway Brexit and Trump voters.

Zuckerberg and Facebook are under fire for allowing the situation to take place, and for failing to publicly report the discovery of Cambridge Analytica's possession of personal data. Critics in the US House of Representatives are calling for Zuckerberg to testify. Zuckerberg himself acknowledged that it might be time for regulators to step in. 

Article updated at 12:44pm: Added Tumblr post.