Twitter: 2,000 Russia-backed ads placed ahead of US election
WASHINGTON: Twitter has revealed that nearly 2,000 ads were placed on the messaging service in 2016 by a Russian media group suspected of trying to interfere with the US presidential election.
A Twitter statement said the social media company shared data with congressional investigators about ads from RT, a television group with links to the Moscow government. Twitter said RT spent $274,000 in 2016 on Twitter ads that may have been used to try to influence the US election.
It told congressional investigators it has suspended at least two dozen accounts that may have been tied to Russia, but the top Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee was anything but satisfied.
Virginia Senator Mark Warner said Twitter’s explanations of its actions against Russia-linked accounts were “deeply disappointing,” and suggested the company doesn’t understand the seriousness of Congress’ investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
“The notion that their work was basically derivative, based upon accounts that Facebook had identified, showed an enormous lack of understanding from the Twitter team of how serious this issue is, the threat it poses to democratic institutions, and again, begs many more questions.”
Warner made the comments after company executives met behind closed doors with staff members of both the Senate and House intelligence committees for several hours.
Warner said the information Twitter shared “was frankly inadequate on almost every level.”
The disclosures by Twitter follow Facebook revelations that some 3,000 ads were purchased by entities with likely ties to Russia and as congressional investigators are examining the spread of false news stories and propaganda on social media during the campaign.
The committees have been investigating Russia’s election meddling and any possible coordination with associates of Republican Donald Trump in his campaign against Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. They have specifically been looking at the roles of Twitter and Facebook in the spread of misinformation and propaganda during the campaign.