Identify Russian ads on Facebook
On Yom Kippur, the Jewish “Day of Atonement,” Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was ready to confess remorse. “For the ways my work was used to divide people rather than bring us together, I ask forgiveness,’’ he wrote on his personal page. “I will work to do better.”
There’s no reason to think Zuckerberg was anything but sincere. Facebook, which recently gave Congressional investigators 3,000 ads believed linked to Russian entities, took out full-page newspaper ads to pledge its commitment to transparency and free elections.
His remorse, however, was slightly misplaced. It’s not just that the Russian-sponsored ads divided people, though of course they did. Elections are all about dividing people.
It’s that the ads misled people. From the fragmentary information we have, the Russians appear to have deployed patriots, puppies, and phony black activists to stoke our fears.
That brings me to my point: While everyone seems eager to investigate Russian influence, there’s no assurance from Facebook or congressional leaders that we actually will be able to
see the questionable social media ads. And that should change very soon.
According to the New York Times, Facebook has cited legal restrictions and the ongoing federal investigation in declining to identify specific groups or advertisements.
That’s understandable: A global company like the Menlo Park-based Facebook doesn’t want advertisers to think their records are easily surrendered. It hurts the bottom line.
But the Russian effort to meddle in the 2016 election goes to the heart of what we hold dear as a nation. We went through the pain of writing a Declaration of Independence 241 years ago to assert our right to make our own decisions.
To preserve that right, we need to know exactly where we were misled. It’s not enough to read highsounding statements from Facebook about how it will review ads more thoroughly, or work with Congress, or build civic engagement. Leaning in? This time, Facebook needs to lean out.
One example makes my point: One page the Times linked to a Russian entity was called Defend the 2nd, for the Second Amendment right to bear arms. “Why do I have a gun?” asks a young woman in the image. “Because it’s easier for my family to get me out of jail than out of cemetery.” (Experts say the lack of an “a” before “cemetery” is a tip-off that the phrase was written by a Russian).
It’s hard for me to grasp exactly how they might impact someone’s vote, but that’s not the point. By seeing the whole ad, we get a better grasp of the Russian tactics. The details matter.
Fortunately, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, has called for the ads to be released publicly. Schiff has been working with Facebook to find a way to make that happen.
“The American people deserve to see the ways that the Russian intelligence services manipulated and took advantage of online platforms to stoke and amplify social and political tensions,” Schiff said. I can only say Amen.
A personal note:
After 40 years at the Mercury News, and more than 14 as a local columnist, I’m beginning my final lap. I turned 68 at the end of September, and an inner voice tells me my retirement time is near.
I expect that my last column will appear in the first week of November. For now, I’ll just say thanks — thanks that I’ve had such a good job, with such a great audience, for as long as I did.
Over the next few weeks, I still have a few trolls to slay. I invite you to keep reading, whether you’re a critic or a fan. It will spur me through the home stretch.