Facebook: We sold pro-Trump ads to Russians

FACEBOOK has been dragged into the row over President Trump’s alleged links with Russia after it admitted selling adverts to Russian accounts trying to get him elected.

The social network admitted it sold £ 77,000 of adverts to around 470 ‘inauthentic’ accounts, roughly equivalent to 3,000 adverts.

Few openly discussed Donald Trump or other candidates – but most focused on divisive issues such as immigration which could have helped put Mr Trump in the White House.

‘The ads and accounts appeared to focus on amplifying divisive social and political messages across the ideological spectrum,’ Facebook said in a blog post.

The adverts ran between June 2015 and May this year. The social media network shut down the 470 Russian accounts as soon as it found out they were fake.

It also found a second set of accounts, whose users appeared to be based in the US, but had their language set to Russian. These accounts spent around £38,200 on another 2,200 adverts which were ‘potentially political,’ Facebook said.

Facebook’s admission has heaped fresh pressure on President Trump, who is facing huge political scrutiny – including an FBI investigation – over alleged collusion between Russia and his campaign team.

The website’s founder, Mark Zuckerberg, has been critical of the President, and the blog post is seen as a deliberate blow against Mr Trump.