The three most popular Bernie Sanders fan pages were simultaneously attacked with pornographic images on Monday night, which temporarily shut down those sites on the eve of five primary contests.
Facebook is now saying the problem was not a coordinated attacks, but rather a glitch.
Three pro-Sanders pages, including “Bernie or Bust,” “Bernie Believers” and “Bernie Sanders is my hero” were flooded with pornographic images, and were quickly removed from Facebook.
The pages are followed by a combined 250,000 supporters, and have been used since the beginning of the Vermont senator’s campaign to disseminate campaign information to supporters.
Some Facebook users immediately linked the attacks to the pro-Hillary Clinton Group Bros 4 Hillary. Others attempted to connect the attacks to Clinton ally David Brock’s social media project, Barrier Breakers 2016. Brock’s super PAC Correct the Record designated $1 million to “correct” Sanders supporters who criticize Clinton.
But Facebook later attributed to the incorrect application of “one our automated policies.”
In a statement, Correct the Record denied any involvement in the cyberattacks, and said the group “is exclusively engaged in positive messaging supporting Hillary Clinton.”
The Sanders’ fan pages were able to be returned to the Internet in their original form by midnight the same day.
On Tuesday, Sanders competes with Clinton in primaries in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Rhode Island and Connecticut. While Clinton is predicted to win most of those states, polls show Sanders leading Clinton by a few points in Rhode Island before primary day.
