Between Anti-Disinformation Efforts And Its Propagators: How Meta Punishes Those Who Expose the Truth

Meta continues to allow the spread of politically charged disinformation across its platforms, while restricting credible, fact-checked content that debunks such claims, often citing vague justifications like "harassment" or "community standards violations." This contradictory application of policy is far from harmless, particularly in the Syrian context, where pages falsely claiming official affiliations actively promote misleading narratives on sensitive issues. At the same time, professionally verified reports that seek to clarify the truth are being taken down. 

In this report, we will showcase patterns of this imbalance, offer examples from the Syrian information space, and examine its direct impact on public trust and the broader information environment.

 

Fake “Official” Accounts

On social media, numerous personal accounts present themselves as affiliated with international organizations or UN agencies, spreading inaccurate or misleading information on sensitive topics in Syria, such as detainee files, humanitarian aid, and refugee affairs. These accounts often use formal language and official-sounding terminology to project credibility, which encourages the public to treat them as reliable sources, especially in the absence of meaningful oversight or content verification from the tech companies hosting them.

Bassam Hanna: A Wide Disinformation Network Behind a Fake “Official Front”

Bassam Hanna presents himself on his verified Facebook account as a “UN diplomat” and a “Doctor of International Law and Human Rights,” claiming to work in the refugee affairs division. Hanna runs four major Facebook pages with a combined following of more than 6.1 million users. The most prominent of these, titled “Dr. Bassam Hanna”, has over 2.5 million followers and describes itself as the page of “Dr. Bassam Hanna, UN Diplomat.” Although no name change is recorded in the page’s transparency section, older posts dating back to 2021 reveal that the content was once purely entertainment-focused, revolving around jokes under the title “Jokes for the Morning.”

The second page, also titled “Dr Bassam Hanna”, was created on January 8, 2022. Its original name, however, was “Yasser Galal,” and it now has nearly one million followers. The third is a personal profile under the name “Bassam Hanna”, created on October 8, 2004, with around 66,000 followers. The fourth page also once carried the name “Dr Bassam Hanna” but was later rebranded as “MR.X.” According to page history, it originally launched under the name “Love Songs $” on December 8, 2019, before undergoing both a name and content transformation.

Verify-Sy has compiled a body of evidence and testimonies debunking the claims Hanna spreads across his pages, revealing a clear pattern of coordinated disinformation. Investigations show that Hanna resides in Germany and continues to present himself as a “UN diplomat” and “Doctor of International Law and Human Rights”, despite holding no official position or professional affiliation with any international body.

This was confirmed by the office of the UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria, as well as the Office of the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen. Additionally, multiple individuals familiar with Hanna personally stated that he holds no academic qualifications in the fields he claims.

OSINT verification efforts included a review of Hanna’s page history, which revealed that his content was primarily entertainment-focused until December 2024. After that, his pages began publishing political material styled to project an official image.

Hanna has made several unfounded claims, including that he can submit the names of detainees and missing persons to international bodies, that he is leading United Nations initiatives, and that he advocates for the partition or fragmentation of Syria. His language is carefully crafted to imply diplomatic authority he does not possess. By exploiting public trust in international institutions, Hanna has built a false image of legitimacy, making his case one of the clearest examples of impersonation and organized disinformation in Syria’s digital landscape.
 

Through his online activity, Bassam Hanna has violated several of Meta’s publicly stated policies. Most notably, he breaches the platform’s impersonation policy by presenting himself as a diplomat and UN official without holding any formal status. He also violates the harmful misinformation policy by spreading false claims related to detainees, humanitarian aid, and refugee issues. Additionally, his conduct infringes Meta’s fraud policy by soliciting personal information from followers based on false promises of international advocacy. Furthermore, Hanna’s behavior contravenes Meta’s “inauthentic behavior” policy, as he manages a network of interconnected pages that originally served as entertainment platforms but were later rebranded to push widespread disinformation.

In response, Verify-Sy investigated Hanna using open-source data, page history, and firsthand testimony. It found that one of his verified Facebook pages gained its blue checkmark by citing a paid article on an unreliable blog, later deleted after public scrutiny. Despite clear violations, Meta took no action against Hanna, and instead removed Verify-Sy’s report, labeling it “harassment,” despite the platform’s status as an official fact-checking partner.

Sarmad AlTall: A Judge Without Authority

Sarmad AlTall runs a personal Facebook page under his real name, Sarmad AlTall, created on February 1, 2015, and followed by around 6,300 users. He has no other active pages, and this one has remained unchanged in name or structure since its launch. On it, he claims to be a “legislative judge at the United Nations headquarters.”

Before the fall of Assad, the page's content focused on attacking the armed opposition and questioning the legitimacy of the Syrian revolution, with a harsh tone against Islam and its history within an analytical framework, in addition to posts questioning Arab regimes. During the "Deterrence of Aggression" campaign and after the fall of Assad, al-Tall shifted to attacking the new Syrian government and the factions participating in the operation. He wrote a series titled "Yes, I Met the Terrorist al-Julani," in which he claimed to have met with the new Syrian president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, exploiting his status as a UN official that grants him access to decision-making circles. He also began publishing another series titled "Secrets of the Gods," promoting what he considers an international conspiracy to reshape the government in Syria, with the participation of media and international parties.

 

 

Although Sarmad AlTall presents himself as a “legislative judge at the United Nations headquarters,” this claim is unsupported by any official documentation or credible evidence. His supposed affiliation mirrors that of Bassam Hanna, who also claimed to represent the United Nations. In a direct response to Verify-Sy, the UN formally denied any connection to Hanna or any capacity that would authorize him to speak on its behalf. His name does not appear on any employee or consultant lists within UN agencies, nor is it linked to the organization in any official capacity inside or outside Syria. Similarly, AlTall lists this supposed title only in the profession section of his personal Facebook page, without offering any proof. He uses the phrase to lend credibility to content that implies affiliation with international institutions, leveraging it to build a public persona based on false legitimacy.

On his personal Facebook page, AlTall repeatedly violates several of Meta’s core policies. Chief among these is impersonation: he falsely presents himself as a UN official without holding any formal position or recognized affiliation, in direct violation of Meta’s policy prohibiting false professional claims, particularly those involving international bodies. His posts also fall under harmful misinformation, as he promotes unverified narratives, including alleged meetings with Syria’s new president and claims of international conspiracies to maintain his power, without providing any supporting evidence. In addition, his content often includes polarizing political rhetoric and incitement against public figures and entities, breaching Meta’s guidelines on preventing incitement and violence.

Posts Fueling Digital Chaos

Shadi Abu Ammar identifies himself as a Syrian activist based in the Netherlands. He runs a network of public pages, volunteer initiatives, and media organizations on Facebook, collectively followed by over 446,000 users. The most prominent among them is the page “Waheed,” which has 414,000 followers, in addition to his personal page with 15,000 followers. He also manages the pages “Electronic National Army” and “Druze Youth Movement,” both of which align with his coverage of events in Sweida, alongside various volunteer campaigns and chat groups on messaging platforms. Waheed’s page is administered from multiple countries, most notably the Netherlands, as well as Syria, Cyprus, and Lebanon.

Prior to December 8, 2024, the content on Shadi Abu Ammar’s main Facebook page primarily focused on criticizing the former Syrian regime and highlighting conditions in Sweida. Meanwhile, Waheed’s page mainly published videos featuring quotes and general messages, without any political tone. During the “Deterrence of Aggression” campaign, the page began posting photos and videos of Sweida-based factions participating in the fighting against the regime, though it refrained from expressing any explicit stance beyond that context. At that time, the “Electronic National Army” and “Druze Youth Movement” pages had not yet been created.

After December 8, 2024, however, the content took on a more aggressive and provocative tone. Both the main page and Waheed began publishing videos and posts calling for secession and armed conflict, along with demands for foreign support, particularly from Israel, against the new Syrian government. These pages also circulated news and videos that were later found to be misleading, according to fact-checks by Verify-Sy. Meanwhile, the Electronic National Army page focused on documenting human rights violations in Sweida’s villages without adopting an overtly partisan narrative. The Druze Youth Movement page concentrated on volunteer campaigns and recruiting media volunteers, but it remains part of the broader network operated by Shadi Abu Ammar.

[A screenshot from a May post by Waheed warning of consequences for those who challenge the Druze community, accompanied by a photo of a slain Syrian security officer labeled as a terrorist.]

Through the pages he manages, Shadi Abu Ammar consistently publishes content that clearly violates Meta’s standards in three key areas. First, incitement to violence, as his posts include calls for secession and armed conflict, posing a direct threat to civil peace and promoting hate speech and societal division. Second, he has repeatedly shared misinformation or distorted videos and news reports that were later debunked by field investigations, particularly those aimed at discrediting the current Syrian government or misleading the public about the nature of unfolding events. Finally, he violates Meta’s policy on inauthentic behavior by repurposing the original intent of his main pages, shifting their content toward material that contradicts the themes and purposes on which those pages were originally built.

Harout Kehaian: Rhetoric Without Evidence

Harout Kehaian manages a main Facebook page under the name “Harout Ara Kehaian,” created on December 5, 2010 and operated from Lebanon. It has around 90,000 followers. On the page, he identifies as a “Syrian activist and founder of a media platform.” He also runs another page named after his project, “The Channel,” created on June 13, 2025, which has around 21,000 followers and is managed by individuals based in Syria and Lebanon. In addition, he has a personal page under the name “Harout Kehaian,” followed by 6,500 users, although he has not posted there in some time. Altogether, his total following across these platforms is approximately 117,500.

Kehaian deleted most of his older posts and photos from his Facebook pages that predate the fall of the Assad regime. However, digital archives and public groups he was active in reveal a clear pattern of support for the former regime. His main page, which remained active afterward, often highlighted his work as a car mechanic and included posts praising Hezbollah. His original page, however, was politically active in 2011, organizing campaigns in support of Assad. Archived posts and photos confirm his participation in military operations as part of pro-Assad militias in various Syrian cities, and his involvement in organizing a group called “Youth of Syria’s Future,” which claimed to be independent but publicly declared support for Assad.

Local eyewitnesses indicate that Kehaian operated an auto repair shop in the Midan neighborhood of Aleppo and was among the first to take up arms in the area. Alongside a man named Sarko Garabetian, he helped form armed groups that set up checkpoints to intimidate residents and participated in suppressing protests in Homs in coordination with the ousted regime forces.

However, between 2015 and 2016, his posting pattern began to shift after relocating to Lebanon. Videos and posts appeared in which he criticized the worsening situation in Syria. Some media articles described him as providing free auto repair services as a form of aid. After Assad’s fall in December 2024, his pages took on a new political tone, focusing on news dissemination through The Channel and speculative analysis on his personal page, especially regarding post-Assad developments. His messaging increasingly adopted a warning tone, promoting conspiracy theories about power arrangements after the regime’s collapse. Kehaian’s discourse relies on presenting unverified claims as if they were confirmed scenarios, and his posts have been repeatedly taken down or reported, prompting him to hide large portions of his earlier content as public debate around his role in the Syrian uprising intensified.

Kehaian violates several of Meta’s publishing standards and has received notices from the platform regarding his activity. Chief among these violations is the spread of misinformation, as his posts often rely on unverified narratives and conspiracy theories linking global events and figures without evidence. He also engages in inauthentic behavior, frequently posting content and then deleting or editing it after reports or public backlash, a tactic used to evade accountability and manipulate audience perception. Despite these documented violations, most of his content remains publicly accessible, with no effective intervention from the platform.

Verified Fact-Check on Bassam Hanna Removed by Meta

On March 14, 2025, Meta removed a post published by the fact-checking platform Verify-Sy in response to repeated public inquiries about Bassam Hanna, who presents himself on a verified Facebook account in a way that suggests professional affiliation and academic qualifications in international law and human rights. The deleted post shared the findings of a digital investigation based on open-source research and testimonies from individuals personally familiar with Hanna. The investigation concluded that his claims about his credentials and affiliations were not supported by any verifiable evidence.

The removed post by Verify-Sy also highlighted that Bassam Hanna manages a network of Facebook pages with a combined following of over six million accounts, the majority of which are either fake profiles or repurposed pages that were originally dedicated to entertainment content but later shifted to political messaging. One of these pages was verified based on a paid article published in an unreliable blog, which was later deleted following an internal review by the publishing party. Since December 2024, Hanna has used this network to launch coordinated disinformation campaigns, spreading false information and repeatedly calling for foreign intervention under sensational and misleading headlines.

Although the post published by Verify-Sy, a Meta-approved fact-checking partner, contained no personal attacks or inflammatory language, and focused solely on presenting verifiable findings, Meta removed it under its “Harassment and Abuse” policy. Meanwhile, no action was taken against Hanna’s accounts, despite their deceptive nature and wide reach. This incident highlights a clear double standard in how platform rules are applied and shows how moderation policies meant to protect users from harm can instead be used to suppress credible, evidence-based investigations, while allowing individuals who falsely claim official status to operate freely.

A Familiar Pattern: Leniency Toward Disinformation, Pressure on Those Who Expose It

What happened in the Syrian context is not an isolated incident. Similar cases have been documented in other countries and circumstances. A Guardian report, for example, revealed that Meta approved advertisements in India containing explicit calls for violence and religious hatred, content that directly violates the platform’s policies on incitement and hate speech. One such ad, approved without objection, included the phrase “Let’s burn this filth.” It was part of a test by an independent watchdog that demonstrated how Meta’s algorithms allow highly dangerous content to pass through with ease.

In contrast, there are verified instances of Meta removing investigative posts or critical content about public figures or influential individuals, simply because they included satire or mild criticism. One case involved a satirical depiction of two American politicians, which Meta flagged as “harassment,” even though it contained no personal attacks. The post was later reinstated following a review by Meta’s Oversight Board. This points to a loose and inconsistent application of the platform’s “harmful behavior” rules, in ways that allow certain individuals to shield themselves from public scrutiny, even at the expense of exposing disinformation or manipulation.

Taken together, these examples reveal a fundamental problem: Meta does not enforce its policies consistently or fairly. At times, the platform appears to provide a form of technical cover for those spreading falsehoods, while restricting or penalizing the tools of verification and accountability, whether used by independent organizations or individuals. This structural imbalance in content moderation not only creates a skewed information environment, but also enables lies to spread more widely and effectively than the truth.

Declining Support for Fact-Checkers: A New Policy Weakens the Fight Against Disinformation

At the start of 2025, Meta officially ended its third-party fact-checking program, which had allowed independent verification organizations to review public content and flag false information to users. The decision was made without a detailed public announcement. Mark Zuckerberg framed it merely as a step toward “supporting freedom of expression” and reducing “censorship.” However, the timing, which coincided with internal political pressure from figures known for promoting misleading narratives, raised serious questions about the motivations behind the move. Many saw it as a retreat from Meta’s previous commitments to combating disinformation.

The rollback has not only weakened Meta’s internal content moderation framework, but also had an immediate impact on the broader ecosystem of journalism and fact-checking. A recent international report described the decision as “a major blow to the fact-checking community” and “a dismantling of the information safety infrastructure” that had defined the platform since 2016. With the end of these professional partnerships, false content now spreads without any form of review, at a time when journalists and fact-checkers are increasingly targeted with harassment or content takedowns, often triggered by complaints from those exposed by their investigations.

This shift doesn’t merely restrict those working to expose falsehoods, it dismantles the very structure that once lent institutional legitimacy to fact-checking on the platform. If this trend continues, the information environment is likely to become even more fragile and unbalanced, with disinformation narratives gaining ground as evidence-based content recedes. In complex contexts like Syria, where large segments of the population rely on digital platforms as a primary source of news, this shift is expected to further marginalize professional voices and amplify the reach of coordinated campaigns built on manipulation and falsehoods.

How Meta Is Redefining Truth — and Restricting Those Who Expose It

Cases documented by Verify-Sy and other organizations reveal that Meta’s content moderation practices often fall short of the platform’s stated commitments to transparency and protecting public discourse. When false information is allowed to circulate freely, while verified fact-checks are removed, the platform becomes an unbalanced environment, one that weakens professional journalism and amplifies disinformation narratives. This contradiction affects not only fact-checking organizations, but also public trust and the credibility of the digital information space as a whole.

In the Syrian context, with all its political and media complexities, the consequences of this imbalance are even more severe. Local independent actors lack the resources and reach to compensate for the failures of global platforms, making accountability not a luxury, but a necessity. The question that remains: Will Meta reconsider how it enforces its standards, or will the paradox of “punishing those who expose disinformation” continue to define the public conversation?