Small Wars Journal

Russian Interference Campaign Was Broader Than First Known, Big Tech Tells Hill

Wed, 11/01/2017 - 1:54pm

Russian Interference Campaign Was Broader Than First Known, Big Tech Tells Hill by Miles Parks – National Public Radio

Russian interference efforts in the 2016 presidential election were broader than anyone first knew, as representatives for Facebook, Twitter and Google told lawmakers on Capitol Hill Tuesday.

The total number of users across those platforms who may have seen content created by Russian operatives leading up to the election is now estimated at more than 100 million, according to lawyers for the companies.

That's just one consequence of the explosion in popularity of social media.

"Not only do we use it, not only does the president use it, millions of Americans use your technology to share the first step of a grandchild, to talk about good and bad things in our lives, and I would like to say to all of you that you've enriched America," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism.

"But the bottom line is these technologies also can be used to undermine our democracy and put our nation at risk." …

Much of that content was aimed at widening divides in American culture, touching on topics from LGBT matters to race issues to immigration to gun rights.

"Many of these ads and posts are inflammatory, some are downright offensive, and much of it will be particularly painful to communities that engaged with this content believing it to be authentic," Stretch said. "They have every right to expect more from us."

Stretch and his colleagues are set to face more questions on Capitol Hill Wednesday in an all-day marathon. First they go before the Senate Intelligence Committee in the morning and then before the House Intelligence Committee in the afternoon…

Much more at NPR.