Here Are 14 Facebook and Instagram Ads that Russian Trolls Bought to Divide Americans
Credit to Author: Emanuel Maiberg| Date: Wed, 01 Nov 2017 19:37:35 +0000
Lawmakers finally disclosed a small sample of the more than 3,000 ads that Russian trolls bought on Facebook and Instagram during the 2016 presidential election. The 14 ads released on Wednesday show a glimpse of the political issues that Russian government trolls tried to harp on to sow divide among the American people and influence the elections.
Some of the ads disparage Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton, or promote divisive trends like anti-muslims or anti-immigration sentiments. Some promote rallies and counter-rallies that ended up in real life events.
Read more: Why Twitter Is the Best Social Media Platform for Disinformation
In early October, Facebook delivered to the Senate and House intelligence committees, as well as the Senate Judiciary Committee more than 3,000 ads that the company identified as paid by Russian government-linked entities, such as the Internet Research Agency, a notorious troll farm in St. Petersburg.
Until today, neither Facebook nor the committees investigating Russian influence in the elections had released any of the controversial ads. Some Russian-backed ads have been disclosed by news organizations such as The New York Times or The Daily Beast.
Here are the 14 ads published today.
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