Richard B. Newman
Member
Last week, Facebook rolled out a tool that permits users to see whether they liked or followed any Facebook pages or Instagram accounts created by the Internet Research Agency, the “troll farm” that has purportedly been involved in interfering with U.S. politics. The tool is available via the website's Help Center.
According to reports released during recent Congressional investigations, thousands of advertisements were purchased by accounts linked to the IRA. In total, it is believed that approximately 10,000 people viewed the advertisements with over 100 million Americans having been exposed to such content over the last two years.
Post and advertisements such as “Heart Of Texas,” “Being Patriotic” and “Secured Borders” were designed to look like they were created by US citizens.
This announcement comes following heavy criticism that the social media platform allowed propaganda and false information to proliferate on its platform without quickly addressing the issue.
"It is important that people understand how foreign actors tried to sow division and mistrust using Facebook before and after the 2016 US election," Facebook said in a blog post. "That's why, as we have discovered information, we have continually come forward to share it publicly and have provided it to congressional investigators. And it's also why we're building the tool we are announcing today."
Tech executives have exhibited some contrition about the election meddling. Capitol Hill – and the American public – would like to see the implementation of more proactive measures and safeguards designed to protect elections from foreign influence. Some in Congress have pushed for regulations on advertising practices, similar to rules governing political advertising on television.
“Why has it taken Facebook 11 months to come forward and help us understand the scope of this problem, see it clearly for the problem it is and begin to work in a responsible legislative way to address it?” asked Senator Chris Coons, Democrat of Delaware.
“Russia does not have loyalty to a political party in the United States,” said Senator Charles E. Grassley, the Republican chairman of the Judiciary Committee. “Their goal is to divide us and discredit our democracy.”
While the Facebook tool will inform users if they liked or followed a bogus page between January 2015 and August 2017, it will not tell them if one of the page's posts appeared in their news feed due to a friend sharing it, or if Facebook served users an ad purchased by IRA. The tool will not work on mobile devices.
You can check, here. “We are taking action to be more transparent about the foreign interference in the 2016 US Elections. We've taken down fake accounts and pages by the Internet Research Agency and have shared this information with Congress.”
Facebook has also announced that it plans to hire additional engineers, security experts and others to bolster artificial intelligence and identify fake accounts. It has also stated that it intends to block ads from pages that repeatedly share fake news stories.
A number of industry insiders believe that the timing of Facebook’s announcement - made a few days before the Christmas holiday – was strategic. The holiday season is typically reserved for unflattering news dumps.
Contact the author via email at rnewman@hinchnewman.com if you are interested in learning more about this topic.
ADVERTISING MATERIAL. These materials are provided for informational purposes only and are not to be considered legal advice, nor do they create a lawyer-client relationship. No person should act or rely on any information in this article without seeking the advice of an attorney. Information on previous case results does not guarantee a similar future result. Hinch Newman LLP | 40 Wall St., 35thFloor, New York, NY 10005 | (212) 756-8777
According to reports released during recent Congressional investigations, thousands of advertisements were purchased by accounts linked to the IRA. In total, it is believed that approximately 10,000 people viewed the advertisements with over 100 million Americans having been exposed to such content over the last two years.
Post and advertisements such as “Heart Of Texas,” “Being Patriotic” and “Secured Borders” were designed to look like they were created by US citizens.
This announcement comes following heavy criticism that the social media platform allowed propaganda and false information to proliferate on its platform without quickly addressing the issue.
"It is important that people understand how foreign actors tried to sow division and mistrust using Facebook before and after the 2016 US election," Facebook said in a blog post. "That's why, as we have discovered information, we have continually come forward to share it publicly and have provided it to congressional investigators. And it's also why we're building the tool we are announcing today."
Tech executives have exhibited some contrition about the election meddling. Capitol Hill – and the American public – would like to see the implementation of more proactive measures and safeguards designed to protect elections from foreign influence. Some in Congress have pushed for regulations on advertising practices, similar to rules governing political advertising on television.
“Why has it taken Facebook 11 months to come forward and help us understand the scope of this problem, see it clearly for the problem it is and begin to work in a responsible legislative way to address it?” asked Senator Chris Coons, Democrat of Delaware.
“Russia does not have loyalty to a political party in the United States,” said Senator Charles E. Grassley, the Republican chairman of the Judiciary Committee. “Their goal is to divide us and discredit our democracy.”
While the Facebook tool will inform users if they liked or followed a bogus page between January 2015 and August 2017, it will not tell them if one of the page's posts appeared in their news feed due to a friend sharing it, or if Facebook served users an ad purchased by IRA. The tool will not work on mobile devices.
You can check, here. “We are taking action to be more transparent about the foreign interference in the 2016 US Elections. We've taken down fake accounts and pages by the Internet Research Agency and have shared this information with Congress.”
Facebook has also announced that it plans to hire additional engineers, security experts and others to bolster artificial intelligence and identify fake accounts. It has also stated that it intends to block ads from pages that repeatedly share fake news stories.
A number of industry insiders believe that the timing of Facebook’s announcement - made a few days before the Christmas holiday – was strategic. The holiday season is typically reserved for unflattering news dumps.
Contact the author via email at rnewman@hinchnewman.com if you are interested in learning more about this topic.
ADVERTISING MATERIAL. These materials are provided for informational purposes only and are not to be considered legal advice, nor do they create a lawyer-client relationship. No person should act or rely on any information in this article without seeking the advice of an attorney. Information on previous case results does not guarantee a similar future result. Hinch Newman LLP | 40 Wall St., 35thFloor, New York, NY 10005 | (212) 756-8777
