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Do not fill this in! ==== Russian interference ==== {{See also|Internet Research Agency|Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections}} In 2018, Special Counsel [[Robert Mueller]] indicted 13 Russian nationals and three Russian organizations for "engaging in operations to interfere with U.S. political and electoral processes, including the 2016 presidential election."<ref>{{cite news|title=Internet Research Agency indicted: Who is the Russian company behind the fake Facebook ads?|url=https://www.foxnews.com/tech/internet-research-agency-indicted-who-is-the-russian-company-behind-the-fake-facebook-ads|work=[[Fox News]]|date=February 16, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=13 Russians Indicted as Mueller Reveals Effort to Aid Trump Campaign|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/16/us/politics/russians-indicted-mueller-election-interference.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180216182422/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/16/us/politics/russians-indicted-mueller-election-interference.html |archive-date=February 16, 2018 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=February 16, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Exposing Russia's Effort to Sow Discord Online: The Internet Research Agency and Advertisements|url=https://intelligence.house.gov/social-media-content/|website=intelligence.house.gov|publisher=Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence|access-date=May 27, 2019|archive-date=January 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128044519/https://intelligence.house.gov/social-media-content/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Mueller contacted Facebook subsequently to the company's disclosure that it had sold more than $100,000 (${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US|100000|2016}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}}) worth of ads to a company ([[Internet Research Agency]], owned by Russian billionaire and businessman [[Yevgeniy Prigozhin]]) with links to the Russian intelligence community before the [[2016 United States presidential election]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-gave-special-counsel-robert-mueller-more-details-on-russian-ad-buys-than-congress-1505514552|title=Facebook Gave Special Counsel Robert Mueller More Details on Russian Ad Buys Than Congress|last1=Seetharaman|first1=Deepa|date=September 15, 2017|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|access-date=September 15, 2017|last2=Tau|first2=Byron|issn=0099-9660|last3=Harris|first3=Shane}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Facebook sold $100,000 of political ads to fake Russian accounts during 2016 US election|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/facebook-russia-ads-us-election-political-adverts-trump-putin-fake-news-a7933461.html|access-date=May 24, 2019|work=[[The Independent]]|date=September 6, 2017 }}</ref> In September 2017, Facebook's chief security officer [[Alex Stamos]] wrote the company "found approximately $100,000 in ad spending from June 2015 to May 2017 β associated with roughly 3,000 ads β that was connected to about 470 inauthentic accounts and Pages in violation of our policies. Our analysis suggests these accounts and Pages were affiliated with one another and likely operated out of Russia."<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Facebook Says Russian Accounts Bought $100,000 in Ads During the 2016 Election|url=http://time.com/4930532/facebook-russian-accounts-2016-election/|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=September 6, 2017}}</ref> Clinton and Trump campaigns spent $81 million (${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US|81000000|2016}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}}) on Facebook ads.<ref>{{cite news|title=New Studies Show Pundits Are Wrong About Russian Social-Media Involvement in US Politics|url=https://www.thenation.com/article/russiagate-elections-interference/|work=The Nation|date=December 28, 2018|access-date=June 2, 2019|archive-date=June 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190603215617/https://www.thenation.com/article/russiagate-elections-interference/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The company pledged full cooperation in [[Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections|Mueller's investigation]], and provided all information about the Russian advertisements.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/06/facebook-gave-special-counsel-robert-mueller-data-on-russian-ads-report-says.html|title=Facebook gave special counsel Robert Mueller data on Russian ads, report says|last=Castillo|first=Michelle|website=[[CNBC]]|date=September 6, 2017|access-date=September 7, 2017}}</ref> Members of the [[United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence|House]] and [[United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence|Senate Intelligence Committees]] have claimed that Facebook had withheld information that could illuminate the Russian propaganda campaign.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/facebooks-openness-on-russia-questioned-by-congressional-investigators/2017/09/18/060e1ee4-9c90-11e7-9083-fbfddf6804c2_story.html|title=Facebook's openness on Russia questioned by congressional investigators|last1=Leonnig|first1=Carol D.|date=September 18, 2017|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=September 19, 2017|last2=Dwoskin|first2=Elizabeth|issn=0190-8286|last3=Timberg|first3=Craig}}</ref> Russian operatives have used Facebook polarize the American public discourses, organizing both [[Black Lives Matter]] rallies<ref>{{cite news|title=Russians trolls organized a protest in the US|url=https://edition.cnn.com/videos/us/2018/06/25/russia-protest-philando-castile-distorting-truth-orig.cnn/video/playlists/russian-trolls-exploit-philando-castiles-death/|work=[[CNN]]|date=June 25, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Did Russian hackers organize Philando Castile protest? Activists say no|url=http://www.startribune.com/local-organizers-doubt-reports-of-russian-ties-to-castile-protest/454368633/|work=[[Star Tribune]]|date=November 1, 2017}}</ref> and anti-immigrant rallies on U.S. soil,<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/exclusive-russia-used-facebook-events-to-organize-anti-immigrant-rallies-on-us-soil|title=Exclusive: Russia Used Facebook Events to Organize Anti-Immigrant Rallies on U.S. Soil|last1=Collins|first1=Ben|last2=Poulsen|first2=Kevin|last3=Ackerman|first3=Spencer|date=September 12, 2017|work=[[The Daily Beast]]|access-date=September 12, 2017}}</ref> as well as anti-Clinton rallies<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://amp.businessinsider.com/facebook-group-russia-texas-anti-immigrant-rallies-2017-9|title=Shuttered Facebook group that organized anti-Clinton, anti-immigrant rallies across Texas was linked to Russia|work=[[Business Insider]]|access-date=September 14, 2017|archive-date=September 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170913202902/https://amp.businessinsider.com/facebook-group-russia-texas-anti-immigrant-rallies-2017-9|url-status=dead}}</ref> and rallies both for and against Donald Trump.<ref>"[http://fortune.com/2018/02/17/russian-organized-rallies-election-meddling/ Russians Staged Rallies For and Against Trump to Promote Discord, Indictment Says]". ''[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]]''. February 17, 2018.</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/russians-appear-to-use-facebook-to-push-pro-trump-flash-mobs-in-florida|title=Exclusive: Russians Appear to Use Facebook to Push Trump Rallies in 17 U.S. Cities|last1=Collins|first1=Ben|last2=Resnick|first2=Gideon|last3=Poulsen|first3=Kevin|last4=Ackerman|first4=Spencer|date=September 20, 2017|work=[[The Daily Beast]]|access-date=September 20, 2017}}</ref> Facebook ads have also been used to exploit divisions over black political activism and Muslims by simultaneously sending contrary messages to different users based on their political and demographic characteristics in order to sow discord.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/russian-operatives-used-facebook-ads-to-exploit-divisions-over-black-political-activism-and-muslims/2017/09/25/4a011242-a21b-11e7-ade1-76d061d56efa_story.html|title=Russian operatives used Facebook ads to exploit divisions over black political activism and Muslims|last1=Entous|first1=Adam|last2=Timberg|first2=Craig|last3=Dwoskin|first3=Elizabeth|date=September 25, 2017|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=September 25, 2017|issn=0190-8286}}</ref><ref>"[https://money.cnn.com/2017/09/27/media/facebook-black-lives-matter-targeting/index.html Exclusive: Russian-bought Black Lives Matter ad on Facebook targeted Baltimore and Ferguson]". CNN. September 28, 2017.</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/exclusive-russians-impersonated-real-american-muslims-to-stir-chaos-on-facebook-and-instagram|title=Exclusive: Russians Impersonated Real American Muslims to Stir Chaos on Facebook and Instagram|last1=Collins|first1=Ben|last2=Poulsen|first2=Kevin|last3=Ackerman|first3=Spencer|date=September 27, 2017|work=[[The Daily Beast]]|access-date=September 28, 2017}}</ref> Zuckerberg has stated that he regrets having dismissed concerns over Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/27/mark-zuckerberg-says-facebook-impact-on-2016-election-went-beyond-ads.html|title=Mark Zuckerberg responds to Trump, regrets he dismissed election concerns|last=Shinal|first=John|date=September 27, 2017|work=[[CNBC]]|access-date=September 27, 2017}}</ref> Russian-American billionaire [[Yuri Milner]], who befriended Zuckerberg<ref>"[https://www.icij.org/investigations/paradise-papers/kremlin-owned-firms-linked-major-twitter-facebook-investments-icij/ Kremlin-owned Firms Linked to Major Investments in Twitter and Facebook]". ''International Consortium of Investigative Journalists β ICIJ''. November 5, 2017.</ref> between 2009 and 2011, had [[Kremlin]] backing for his investments in Facebook and Twitter.<ref name="Drucker-2017">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/05/world/yuri-milner-facebook-twitter-russia.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171105190211/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/05/world/yuri-milner-facebook-twitter-russia.html |archive-date=November 5, 2017 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Kremlin Cash Behind Billionaire's Twitter and Facebook Investments|last=Drucker|first=Jesse|date=November 5, 2017|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=November 6, 2017|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> In January 2019, Facebook removed 289 pages and 75 coordinated accounts linked to the Russian state-owned news agency [[Sputnik (news agency)|Sputnik]] which had misrepresented themselves as independent news or general interest pages.<ref name=DaFN>{{cite web|title=Disinformation and 'fake news': Final Report|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmcumeds/1791/179109.htm|website=publications.parliament.uk|publisher=Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee β House of Commons|access-date=May 24, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Gleicher|first=Nathaniel|title=Removing Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior from Russia|url=https://newsroom.fb.com/news/2019/01/removing-cib-from-russia/|publisher=Facebook Newsroom|access-date=May 24, 2019|date=January 17, 2019}}</ref> Facebook later identified and removed an additional 1,907 accounts linked to Russia found to be engaging in "coordinated inauthentic behaviour".<ref>{{cite news|last=Cuthbertson|first=Antony|title=Facebook removes thousands more Russian accounts|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/facebook-russia-bots-brexit-account-iran-instagram-a8840256.html|access-date=May 24, 2019|work=[[The Independent]]|date=March 26, 2019 }}</ref> In 2018, a UK [[Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport]] (DCMS) select committee report had criticised Facebook for its reluctance to investigate abuse of its platform by the Russian government, and for downplaying the extent of the problem, referring to the company as 'digital gangsters'.<ref>{{cite web|title=Disinformation and 'fake news': Interim Report|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmcumeds/363/36308.htm|website=publications.parliament.uk|publisher=Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee β House of Commons}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Cadwalladr|first=Carole|author-link=Carole Cadwalladr|title=A withering verdict: MPs report on Zuckerberg, Russia and Cambridge Analytica|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jul/28/dcms-report-fake-news-disinformation-brexit-facebook-russia|access-date=May 24, 2019|work=[[The Observer]]|date=July 28, 2018}}</ref><ref name="the Guardian-2019">{{cite web|date=February 18, 2019|title=Facebook labelled 'digital gangsters' by report on fake news|url=http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/feb/18/facebook-fake-news-investigation-report-regulation-privacy-law-dcms|access-date=September 24, 2020|website=the Guardian|language=en}}</ref><blockquote>"Democracy is at risk from the malicious and relentless targeting of citizens with disinformation and personalised 'dark adverts' from unidentifiable sources, delivered through the major social media platforms we use every day," Damian Collins, DCMS Committee Chair<ref name="the Guardian-2019" /></blockquote>In February 2019, [[Glenn Greenwald]] wrote that a cybersecurity company New Knowledge, which is behind one of the [[United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence|Senate reports]] on Russian social media election interference, "was caught just six weeks ago engaging in a massive scam to create fictitious Russian troll accounts on Facebook and Twitter in order to claim that the Kremlin was working to defeat Democratic Senate nominee [[Doug Jones (politician)|Doug Jones]] in Alabama. ''[[The New York Times]]'', when exposing the scam, quoted a New Knowledge report that boasted of its fabrications..."<ref>{{cite news|title=NBC News, to Claim Russia Supports Tulsi Gabbard, Relies on Firm Just Caught Fabricating Russia Data for the Democratic Party|url=https://theintercept.com/2019/02/03/nbc-news-to-claim-russia-supports-tulsi-gabbard-relies-on-firm-just-caught-fabricating-russia-data-for-the-democratic-party/|work=The Intercept|date=February 3, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Secret Experiment in Alabama Senate Race Imitated Russian Tactics|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/19/us/alabama-senate-roy-jones-russia.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181220010545/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/19/us/alabama-senate-roy-jones-russia.html |archive-date=December 20, 2018 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=December 19, 2018}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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