Cybersecurity
Facebook Finds Ongoing Evidence of Election Interference
- ‘Coordinated’ effort included creating protest in Washington
- ‘Like pouring gasoline on a fire,’ Senate’s Cornyn says
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Facebook Inc. has uncovered an ongoing effort to influence U.S. political opinions on its social networks, showing how attempts to meddle in civic life ahead of midterm elections are becoming more sophisticated even as the company takes steps to thwart them.
Facebook said it notified the U.S. government and deleted dozens of accounts and pages from people using false identities, who were coordinating events and stirring up political unrest. The campaign is similar to the one Russia-linked groups ran around the 2016 presidential elections, though the company doesn’t know who’s behind it this time. One thing is clear, Facebook said: the responsible parties were determined to not get caught.