Facebook to hand over more than 3,000 Russia-linked ads to US Congress
Facebook will disclose the ads bought by a Russian entity to the House and Senate Intelligence Committees and the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Amid massive scrutiny over the probable influence of Russia in the 2016 United States Presidential elections, Facebook bow plans to hand over more than 3000 Russia-linked ads to the US Congress, which are investigating the Russian interference. According to a Facebook official, the social media company will disclose the ads bought by a Russian entity to the House and Senate Intelligence Committees and the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The Facebook’s decision comes days after the Congress sought details of Facebook’s advertising system, to disclose Russia’s interference in the election in which Donald Trump came to power. Last week, amid growing threats of false news stories and fake accounts, Facebook’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mark Zuckerberg, asserted that the company will cooperate with investigators and other tech companies.
In a live video address on Facebook, Zuckerberg told last week, “It is a new challenge for internet communities to deal with nation-states attempting to subvert elections. But if that’s what we must do, we are committed to rising to the occasion.”
Earlier on Wednesday, in a major revelation, leading to a new dimension into the alleged Russian interference in the elections, Facebook said that a Russian company’s fake accounts had bought political ads worth more than $100,000, during the presidential elections held last year.
After Facebook’s revelation, Senetor Mark Warner, D-Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee said, “I think there are a lot more to be discovered, and a lot more transparency that’s needed from Facebook, Twitter and other firms. My hope is at some point we even have Facebook and Twitter and some of the other social media firms here for a public hearing.”
Mark Warner had been criticizing the social networking companies for not disclosing the contents marketed during the presidential election, thereby leading to a delay in probing into foreign agent’s influence in shaping the US elections.
However, Facebook has not yet disclosed the type of advertisements and content they are planning to hand over.