Social network facing renewed scrutiny over its role in Russian election interference.
More than a quarter of Americans in a recent survey believe Facebook should receive a fine for its role in Russian interference during the 2016 presidential election.
The online survey of 1,000 people from market research firm Honest Data — conducted in the two days before special counsel Robert Mueller released a 37-page indictment charging 13 Russian nationals and three businesses with crimes related to election interference — casts new light on the American populace’s view of Facebook’s role in those alleged crimes.
Facebook’s head of advertising sought to distance Russian-bought ads from election results, noting that more of the ads were bought after the election. He also said, citing the 3,000 ads Facebook supplied to Congress, that Russians did not try to sway the election. That conclusion contrasted with Mueller’s findings, which said overall efforts by the Russian manipulators were aimed at « supporting the presidential campaign of then-candidate Donald J. Trump. »
President Trump seized on the Facebook tweet that noted more of the ad spending happened after the election, using it as a chance to castigate the media .
According to Honest Data, a polling firm founded by ex-Facebook employee Tavis McGann, 28% of online Americans believe Facebook should be required to pay a fine for allowing the spread of Russian misinformation.
The possibility of a fine for Facebook stems from calls by Democratic lawmakers to more strongly regulate the social network and online political ads.
Mueller’s conclusions detailed how a Russian troll farm, or influence operation, used Facebook more than any other social network to reach U. S. voters. On Saturday, Facebook’s vice president of ads, Rob Goldman, said « there are key facts about the Russian actions that are still not well understood. »
« The majority of the Russian ad spend happened AFTER the election, » he wrote. « We shared that fact, but very few outlets have covered it because it doesn’t align with the main media narrative of Trump and the election. »
« I have seen all of the Russian ads, and I can say very definitively that swaying the election was *NOT* the main goal. »
Trump retweeted Goldman’s remark, using it to scold the « fake news media. »
During an interview with CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday, former national intelligence director James Clapper called Goldman’s assertion « false. »
« Clearly, the Russians were trying to affect the election, » said Clapper.
Ads were one of several ways Russian meddlers attempted to sway Facebook users. Operatives also assume fake identities on the social network to create organic posts in an attempt to divide users before and during the election.
Mueller’s indictment focuses on the use of troll farms, organized operations aimed at creating division among users through misinformation.
For example, the indictment spells out how operatives used Facebook groups to coordinate events supporting both Trump and Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton.
Joel Kaplan, Facebook’s vice president of global policy, said the indictment « confirms our announcement last year that foreign actors conducted a coordinated and sustained effort to attack our democracy. »
Initially, Facebook had revealed more than 10 million users saw Russian-linked advertising, with 44% of it viewed before the election.
However, Facebook general counsel Colin Stretch testified before the Senate last October as many as 126 million people — roughly one-third of the U. S. population — were exposed to posts from Russian accounts. The following month, Facebook revealed the number was 146 million.
A spokesperson for Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, criticized Goldman’s comments on Saturday, saying focusing on « ad spend » missed the big picture.
« Ads were only a small percentage of the content pushed by IRA, » the Internet Research Agency, said Warner press secretary Rachel Cohen on Twitter.
Earlier this year, Facebook acknowledged its negative impact on democracy, claiming it’s taking steps to prevent future foreign meddling ahead of the 2018 U. S. midterm elections.
During an interview with USA TODAY last year, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg vowed to stop election interference but admitted he did not know whether that would happen by November midterm elections. « We have a pretty good track record as a company of — once we set our mind to doing something — we eventually get it done. »
Kaplan said Facebook is already making investments, including doubling the number of people working on security from 10,000 to 20,000. « We know we have more to do to prevent against future attacks. »
Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23 .
