By the end of this year, Facebook will release a tool in its Help Center which will allow users to see if they were exposed to election meddling Russian propaganda that originated from the infamous Internet Research Agency.
The move is being made following criticisms made by members of the Senate Intelligence Committee, who are investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 election, claiming that people have a right to know whether they might have followed or been influenced by the information that was designed to sow discord and create tensions.
The tool will allow users to look at the Instagram posts, ads, and Facebook accounts that the trolls used between January of 2015 and August 2017. Apparently, around 150 million users of Facebook and Instagram were exposed to the content. On the actual election day, around 10 million people saw Russian bought ads which covered topics such as LGBTQ rights, immigration, police brutality, and gun control. One of the ads even depicted Hillary Clinton in a battle with Jesus.
This news comes after Facebook has already made changes that make its ads more transparent, along with other moves from Google that are trying to limit the spread of Russian media outlets, as well as Twitter also releasing its own Advertising Transparency Center.
Source: IB Times |House of Representatives via Shutterstock