Facebook says it sold political ads to Russian company during 2016 election

[Blue_Adept]

Representatives of Facebook told congressional investigators Wednesday that it has discovered it sold ads during the U.S. presidential election to a shadowy Russian company seeking to target voters, according to several people familiar with the company’s findings.

Facebook officials reported that they traced the ad sales, totaling $100,000, to a Russian “troll farm” with a history of pushing pro-Kremlin propaganda, these people said.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/facebook-says-it-sold-political-ads-to-russian-company-during-2016-election/2017/09/06/32f01fd2-931e-11e7-89fa-bb822a46da5b_story.html

[Coventina]

1. Don't bother posting this. DU is too busy re-fighting the primaries.

It's all ________'s fault!!!

Funny how seldom "Putin" is put into that blank!
Just how Putin likes it.....

[Blue_Adept]

4. Oh, I expect it to drop like a rock

Stuff like this requires critical thought and understanding. Refighting the primaries is all about emotional responses. And people are pushed to extremes these days and that's a big part of where they can work it as an outlet, a release valve.

[Control-Z]

2. Well, thank you, Facebook.

Nice of you.

[MelissaB]

3. K&R!

[Wellstone ruled]

5. This is just the tip of the

fake ads and news. Noticed today Buffet is concerned by false stories planted. About time America wakes up and realizes how they are being fooled into believing and forwarding false information.

Zuckerberg will have his day of reckoning by his own peers.

[Not Ruth]

6. He is running for office soon

I expect the full power of the Internet to be behind him and against his opponents,

[Wounded Bear]

7. K & R ......for visibility..nt

[octoberlib]

8. They targeted people in specific regions. This tells me they were probably working with the Trump

digital team, Cambridge Analytica and Brad Parscale.

[Maven]

12. Absolutely

Cambridge Analytica is a huge part of this equation. It connects the Trump Campaign, the Mercers and the Russians. It is how they "washed" stolen data and used it to manipulate and suppress voters. Surprised we have not heard more about it by now.

[RandomAccess]

15. It's a complicated subject, and not very sexy, really

And too few leaks (probably because It's a complicated subject ... yadayada)

[progressoid]

9. Facebook is really starting to get on my nerves.

[Skittles]

10. "(FB) has discovered"

riiiiiiiiiiight

[Maven]

11. I'm sure they had NO idea before now

FB needs to be investigated and regulations need to be enacted to ensure that US social media platforms are not used by a foreign power to tamper with our elections again. It is a serious weakness that needs to be addressed.

[RandomAccess]

16. Well said

[Scurrilous]

13. Ads have ruined internets.

[tanyev]

14. Before the election happened, I would have laughed at them throwing their money away.

I mean, what kind of idiot pays attention to Facebook ads? But apparently, a lot of people do.