Instagram could continue to be used by Russian trolls, researchers warn.
Russian actors seeking to spread misinformation around the 2016 U. S. presidential election found the most success on Facebook-owned Instagram, according to a new independent report commissioned by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
The report, released by the cybersecurity research firm New Knowledge in collaboration with researchers from Columbia University and Canfield Research LLC, reviewed data from Twitter, Facebook and Google-parent company Alphabet. Researchers said that of all of the platforms they reviewed, “Instagram was perhaps the most effective platform for the Internet Research Agency,” referring to the firm that spread false information on these platforms and is linked to a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Facebook and Instagram did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
