Cybersecurity
Facebook Found Election Ad Spending Likely Linked to Russia
- Facebook providing details to U.S. election investigators
- Ads were meant to stir controversy over ideological issues
Facebook Finds Election Ads Likely Linked to Russia
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Facebook Inc. says it found about $100,000 in ad spending connected to fake accounts likely run from Russia that aimed to stir political controversy in the U.S. ahead of last year’s presidential election.
While the majority of the ads, run between June 2015 and May 2017, didn’t directly reference the election, they amplified “divisive social and political messages across the ideological spectrum,” Facebook said in a statement. They were connected to about 470 fake accounts and pages on the social network. The company is sharing its findings with U.S. investigators.