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Newly released Facebook ads show Russian trolls targeted Mexican-Americans after Trump election
http://money.cnn.com/2018/05/10/technology/russian-facebook-ads-targeted-mexican-americans/index.html
The Russian government-linked troll group indicted by special counsel Robert Mueller in February targeted more parts of the American population than had previously been reported, documents released Thursday by Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee show.
The release includes more than 3,000 Facebook and Instagram ads purchased by the troll group, known as the Internet Research Agency, between 2015 and 2017. The committee had previously released only a few dozen ads, making Thursday's disclosure the most comprehensive insight into the trolls' paid online activity that is publicly available.
CNN and others have previously reported on how the Russian group operated a network of thousands of fake social media accounts that were designed to look like they were run by real American activists — including fake groups imitating Black Lives Matter, Muslims and Donald Trump supporters. Thursday's release shows the Russians also targeted Mexican-Americans.
It's not clear exactly when the Russian page targeting Mexican-Americans was set up, but in 2017 it had more than 200,000 followers and many of its posts were shared thousands of times, the records released by the House Intelligence Committee show. The group also had a presence on Instagram.
The page was titled "Brown Power," and featured artwork that showed a clenched fist surrounded by Mexican flags. One ad promoting the page on Facebook in December 2016 included the message "Brown power is a platform designed to educate, entertain and connect Chicanos in the US." The ad was targeted at people living in the US whose interests fell into the Facebook categories, "Mexico, Latin hip hop, Chicano Movement, Hispanidad, Low rider or Chicano rap." The page regularly posted statements that appeared to challenge of rhetoric of the nascent Trump administration.
The Russian government-linked troll group indicted by special counsel Robert Mueller in February targeted more parts of the American population than had previously been reported, documents released Thursday by Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee show.
The release includes more than 3,000 Facebook and Instagram ads purchased by the troll group, known as the Internet Research Agency, between 2015 and 2017. The committee had previously released only a few dozen ads, making Thursday's disclosure the most comprehensive insight into the trolls' paid online activity that is publicly available.
CNN and others have previously reported on how the Russian group operated a network of thousands of fake social media accounts that were designed to look like they were run by real American activists — including fake groups imitating Black Lives Matter, Muslims and Donald Trump supporters. Thursday's release shows the Russians also targeted Mexican-Americans.
It's not clear exactly when the Russian page targeting Mexican-Americans was set up, but in 2017 it had more than 200,000 followers and many of its posts were shared thousands of times, the records released by the House Intelligence Committee show. The group also had a presence on Instagram.
The page was titled "Brown Power," and featured artwork that showed a clenched fist surrounded by Mexican flags. One ad promoting the page on Facebook in December 2016 included the message "Brown power is a platform designed to educate, entertain and connect Chicanos in the US." The ad was targeted at people living in the US whose interests fell into the Facebook categories, "Mexico, Latin hip hop, Chicano Movement, Hispanidad, Low rider or Chicano rap." The page regularly posted statements that appeared to challenge of rhetoric of the nascent Trump administration.
Russians need to create better jobs for their people and find something better to do.