A New Wave of a Suspicious Digital Campaign Targeting Syrian Content – Who is Behind It?

Verify-sy has detected renewed activity from a digital campaign previously used by the ousted Bashar al-Assad regime. This campaign involves deleting videos that showcase improvements in Syria’s security, public services, and living conditions under the pretext of "copyright violations." Additionally, it penalizes the publishers of these videos, affecting their pages' quality and reach.

In recent hours, several administrators of public pages and personal accounts have received Facebook notifications informing them that their videos were removed due to alleged "violations of intellectual property policies," following requests from entities claiming ownership of the content.

Who Filed the Complaints?

Notifications sent to affected users indicate that the reports were submitted by individuals impersonating official entities, namely the Syrian Ministry of Information and a local radio station called "Sham FM." The latter has played a key role in spreading misinformation and misleading the public through the Assad regime’s media machinery for over a decade.

Official Response

On Monday, March 24, 2025, the Syrian Ministry of Information issued an official statement denying any involvement in these takedown requests. The ministry clarified that its name was fraudulently used by individuals utilizing a fake email address with a non-governmental domain.

The ministry described this as part of "a coordinated effort by remnants of the former regime and some companies that once operated under its umbrella, which continue to undermine stability in Syria and distort the achievements of the new Syrian state," according to the statement published on the ministry’s official page.

What Are the Affected Users Saying?

The director of "Kozal" (a local media platform) expressed concern over the campaign’s impact on their Facebook page, which has 1.1 million followers. He noted that these complaints also affect the page’s quality, reducing its visibility to followers.

The director, who preferred to remain anonymous, stated that several independent media managers have decided to stop publishing certain content to avoid the risk of having their pages deleted. This includes images and videos of Syria’s transitional leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, whom Meta currently categorizes as a "dangerous individual."

Milad Shahabi, the director of the "Syrian Press Agency," confirmed that the takedown requests had significantly reduced their page’s reach. He also expressed concern that their page—which has over 250,000 followers—could be permanently removed.

 

Verify-sy Calls on Meta for Action

Verify-sy has submitted an official complaint to Meta regarding this campaign, urging immediate intervention. The platform has provided comprehensive evidence proving that the Syrian Ministry of Information is not behind these requests.

As a trusted Meta partner, Verify-sy will continue following up on this issue.

 

Russian-Assad Fingerprints?

Notably, this campaign mirrors previous ones from recent years. The first known occurrence was in 2020, when Syrian activists reported that Facebook had removed videos documenting anti-Assad protests in Sweida, citing "copyright violations."

At the time, Verify-sy informed Facebook officials, who restored the deleted videos. However, the campaign resurfaced in 2023 using the same methods. Investigations revealed that the individual behind both campaigns has direct ties to Russia and the Assad regime.

Last month, Verify-sy published a detailed investigative report titled: "From Military Intelligence to Disinformation: How Yala Media Group Is Using Lies to Evade Justice"

The report provided extensive evidence of this individual’s role in information manipulation and the fake company he operates for laundering propaganda.